Global temperatures predicted to soar to record levels over next five years

By A.L. Lee

Global temperatures are expected to soar to historic levels over the next five years due to increased greenhouse gases that would give rise to extreme weather events, according to a new warning from the World Meteorological Organization.

 File photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

May 17 (UPI) -- Global temperatures are likely to soar to historic levels over the next five years due to increased greenhouse gases that would give rise to extreme weather events, according to a new warning from the World Meteorological Organization.

The report, released Wednesday by the international climate agency in Geneva, says 2023 through 2027 will likely go down as the hottest years on record, with a 66% chance of the average annual surface temperature usurping the climate goal set by the Paris Agreement to shrink global warming through the next century.

"This report does not mean that we will permanently exceed ... long-term warming over many years. However, WMO is sounding the alarm that we will breach the 1.5°C level on a temporary basis with increasing frequency," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

A warming El Niño weather pattern was also expected to develop in the coming months and would "combine with human-induced climate change to push global temperatures into uncharted territory," Taalas explained, adding that "We need to be prepared."

The chances of exceeding the average global surface temperature has gone up steadily since the 1.5°C goal was set in 2015, leading climate scientists to predict the short-term global heatwave.

The annual mean global near-surface temperature for each year between 2023 and 2027 is predicted to fall between 1.1°C and 1.8°C higher than average, the agency said.

Extreme temperatures would be felt across a wide swath of the planet, leading to torrential rains in the Sahel, northern Europe, Alaska and northern Siberia, and reduced rainfall this year over the Amazon and parts of Australia, the report notes.

The report comes as numerous other climate warnings have emerged in recent months, including the State of Global Climate 2022, released by the United Nations in November, which declared the last eight years as the hottest ever on record.

A separate study published in January predicted at least half of the world's glaciers will melt and disappear before the turn of the next century as global warming continued on an upward trajectory despite meaningful efforts in recent years to address the problem.

The world's oceans would rise dramatically under such a scenario and lead to flooding and other major disasters around the world.

In another sign of growing of concern, the Global Report on Internal Displacement, released last Thursday, said more than 32 million people worldwide were forced from their homes by weather-related disasters in 2022.

The United States ranked sixth in the world for the most people displaced by climate disasters with 543,000.

Efforts to curtail the climate crisis have picked up steam around the world in recent years, with numerous climate summits and President Joe Biden helping to galvanize the American response.

In recent months, the Biden administration has acted with increased urgency to align with the international climate blueprint, with the United States on "a clear path" to achieving its climate goals due to the president's "all-hands-on-deck strategy for accelerating key clean energy technology innovations," the White House said previously.