WMO: last three years were extremely hot

bonn - The year 2017 is likely to record the books as one of the three warmest years since the measurements began. There were also extreme weather events such as catastrophic hurricanes, sloping heat waves and high drought. That told the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Monday at the beginning of the climate conference in Bonn.

Long-term indicators indicate that developments, such as increasing carbon dioxide concentrations, sea level rise and acidification of the oceans, remain undesirable. The ice surface in the Arctic area remains below average and also the amount of sea ice in the area around the South Pole stagnates on a low record.

The preliminary figures in the WMO Climate Report report show that the average temperature on Earth in the first half of this year is 1.1 degrees higher compared to the pre-industrial temperature. As a result of El Niño, 2016 will probably be the warmest year. 2015 or 2017 will be in second and third place.

'The last three years are all in the top three of temperature records and are part of a long-term warming trend,' said Secretary General Petteri Taalas of the WMO. 'We have witnessed extraordinary weather conditions, including temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius in Asia and record breaking hurricanes in the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean, reaching as far as Ireland. There were also devastating monsoon floods that had a huge impact on many millions of people and there was a relentless drought in East Africa. '

'Many of these events- and detailed scientific studies will later determine exactly how much- are the result of climate change caused by increased concentrations of greenhouse gases due to human activities,' said Taalas.