"Global temperatures are set to remain alarmingly high, with 2026 predicted to be the fourth consecutive year exceeding 1.4C above pre-industrial levels, according to the Met Office. The UK's national weather service, in its annual outlook, forecasts 2026 to reach an estimated 1.46C above the 1850-1900 baseline, indicating a persistent "warming surge." While this figure sits below the record 1.55C observed in 2024, it would still rank 2026 among the four warmest years ever recorded."
"Last year, 2024, marked the first time the crucial 1.5C threshold a key target of the Paris Agreement to avert the most severe climate impacts was breached. There remains a possibility that 2026 could also surpass this critical limit. Professor Adam Scaife, who leads the team behind the Met Office's global forecast for 2026, said: The last three years are all likely to have exceeded 1.4C and we expect 2026 will be the fourth year in succession to do this."
The Independent funds on-the-ground reporting and investigative coverage through reader donations while keeping content freely accessible. Donations support journalists covering issues including reproductive rights, climate change, and Big Tech and enable documentaries such as 'The A Word' that profile American women fighting for reproductive rights. The Met Office outlook forecasts continued high global temperatures, estimating 2026 at around 1.46C above the 1850–1900 baseline and potentially ranking among the warmest recorded years. The 1.5C threshold was breached in 2024, and 2026 could also exceed that critical limit.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
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