'More likely than not' world to see 1.5C warming soon - WMO

The World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday that for the first time in history, global temperatures are more likely to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 F) of warming over the next five years. However, this did not necessarily mean that the world would exceed the long-term warming threshold of 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. With a 66 per cent chance of temporarily reaching 1.5°C by 2027, "this is the first time in history that we are more likely to exceed 1.5°C," said Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at the UK's Met Office Hadley Center, which worked on the latest update of the WMO's global annual to decadal climate. Last year's report it stated a 50-50 probability. Partly responsible for increasing the likelihood of reaching 1.5°C is the El Niño weather expected in the coming months. During this natural phenomenon, warmer waters in the tropical Pacific warm the atmosphere above them and increase global temperatures. El Niño "will combine with human-induced climate change to push global temperatures into uncharted territory," WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in a press release. (Gloria Dickie, Reuters)