Published on: 2026-11-09
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
November 9, 2026 Climate and Environment
Each of the last 12 years ranks among the 12 warmest years in the entire history of observations, with the last four years occupying the top four places. This is stated in the report of the World Meteorological Organization on the state of the climate in 2026, published on Monday ahead of the opening of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-31) in Antalya, Turkey.
The average global surface temperature from January to September of this year was approximately 1.47°C above the pre-industrial average. By the end of the year, this figure is likely to increase due to the El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to become the strongest on record by December. Experts from the WMO forecast that 2026 will be one of the four warmest years in history.
The Earth’s energy imbalance is increasing, and our planet’s system is accumulating heat at an ever-faster rate. This imbalance has reached the highest level since observations began, as greenhouse gases trap record amounts of heat and disrupt the balance between incoming solar energy and outgoing energy. The ocean absorbs 90 percent of this excess heat, and based on available data, 2026 will be the tenth consecutive year with record high ocean heat content.
In 2026, sea levels rose to the highest levels ever recorded, and sea surface temperatures reached monthly record highs. The long-term retreat of glaciers continues: the annual ice mass loss in 2025 was enough to fill five Olympic-sized swimming pools every second throughout the year. Freshwater reserves have been declining since 2014.
“We have entered a new era of extreme climate events. The most powerful El Niño has struck a planet already heated by anthropogenic climate change. Records for climate indicators continue to be broken. Human losses continue to grow. And those least responsible for what is happening suffer more frequently and severely than anyone else,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
“Leaders must take this issue seriously by accelerating the process of emission reductions, ramping up efforts for a just transition from fossil fuels, and ensuring that vulnerable countries receive the financing and protection they need,” he added.
© WMO/M. Wilson In 2026, sea surface temperature reached record monthly values.
El Niño and the very state of the global climate in 2026 give new meaning to the word “off the charts,” noted WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
“Heat waves, tropical cyclones, and heavy rains are intensifying faster than expected based on historical baseline data. This year, hundreds of millions of people have been exposed to unbearable extreme heat, and the catastrophic ice and rock collapses and rapidly developing floods in Nepal have demonstrated the cumulative risks faced by populations in vulnerable high mountain areas in a warming climate,” Saulo said.
In order to monitor the rapidly changing climate and manage growing risks, forecasts based on continuous observations in all parts of the world are more important than ever. According to the report, the number of countries reporting the existence of early warning systems for multiple hazardous events increased from 56 in 2015 to 136 in 2025.
The WMO report on the state of the climate in 2026, published on Monday, includes data available up to September 2026 and for this reason does not reflect the latest changes linked to the impact of El Niño.
The final report will be released in March 2027. It will include scientific materials provided by dozens of national meteorological and hydrological services, regional climate centers, and United Nations partners.
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