World forecast to endure warmest decade on record, experts say

Small chance next few years could see global temperatures temporarily rise 1.5C above pre-industrial levels

The planet is currently in the middle of what is set to be the warmest decade on record, according to Met Office scientists.

Figures released by experts running the world’s leading temperature datasets confirmed previous estimates that 2018 was the fourth hottest year on record.

If temperatures over the next five years follow predictions, the decade that began in 2014 will be the hottest run of years since records began in the early 19th century.

There is even a small chance one of the next few years will bring a temperature bump of 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels.

This is significant as it represents the lower bound of the average temperature rise the world is aiming to limit warming to under the Paris climate agreement.

“2015 was the first year that global annual average surface temperatures reached 1C above pre-industrial levels, and the following three years have all remained close to this level,” said Professor Adam Scaife, head of long-range prediction at the Met Office.

“The global average temperature between now and 2023 is predicted to remain high, potentially making the decade from 2014 the warmest in more than 150 years of records.”

Besides the Met Office, Nasa and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have also released new figures for global warming.

All the results show the same “escalator-like” rise that scientists think is linked to the loss of sea ice, as well as an increase in extreme weather events around the world.

“The impacts of long-term global warming are already being felt – in coastal flooding, heat waves, intense precipitation and ecosystem change,” said Nasa’s Gavin Schmidt.