The past year was 1.52 degrees hotter on average than temperatures before industrialization, according to data from Copernicus, the European Union’s climate and weather monitoring service.
That 12-month average was boosted by the hottest January on record, which was 1.66 degrees warmer than the average January temperature in pre-industrial times.
Keeping global warming below 2 degrees, but preferably 1.5, was the centerpiece goal of the Paris Agreement, which most of the world’s nations signed onto in 2015.
Extreme weather events already made more frequent and severe by long-term global warming are now being supercharged by El Niño, scientists say.
The twin threat also supercharged the California storms this week, scientists said, enhancing rainfall and boosting the storm’s destructive power.
Persons:
El Niño, Copernicus, Matt Patterson, ” Copernicus, Samantha Burgess
Organizations:
El, CNN, Global, University of Oxford
Locations:
Paris, Chile