05/02/2014 - 13:55
Geneva (AFP)
Last year tied for the sixth hottest on record, confirming that
Earth's climate is in the grip of long-term warming, the UN's weather
agency said Wednesday.
"The global temperature for the year 2013 is consistent with the long-term warming trend," World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chief Michel Jarraud said in a statement.
Last year equalled 2007 as the sixth warmest year since reliable records began in 1850, with a global land and ocean surface temperature that was 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1961-1990 average, the WMO said.
Temperatures in both years were also 0.03 degrees Celsius (0.05 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average from 2001-2010, which in turn was an extremely hot decade, with 2005 and 2010 topping the warming charts.
Those two years saw temperatures about 0.55 degrees Celsius (1 F) above the long term average.
Thirteen of the 14 warmest years on record have occurred in the 21st century, said the agency.
Jarraud acknowledged that "the rate of warming is not uniform" in every country.
Last year, for instance, was the hottest year on record in Australia, while the United States measured record highs in 2012.
But, Jarraud stressed, "the underlying trend is undeniable."
"Given the record amounts of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, global temperatures will continue to rise for generations to come," the WMO chief warned.
"Our action, or inaction, to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases will shape the state of our planet for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren."
El Nino weather patterns, which warm surface temperatures, and their cooling La Nina counterparts are major drivers of natural variability in the climate.
But the WMO said neither condition occurred in 2013. That year was warmer than both 2011 and 2012, which were cooled down by La Nina.
2013 sixth hottest year, confirms long-term warming: UN
"The global temperature for the year 2013 is consistent with the long-term warming trend," World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chief Michel Jarraud said in a statement.
Last year equalled 2007 as the sixth warmest year since reliable records began in 1850, with a global land and ocean surface temperature that was 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1961-1990 average, the WMO said.
Temperatures in both years were also 0.03 degrees Celsius (0.05 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average from 2001-2010, which in turn was an extremely hot decade, with 2005 and 2010 topping the warming charts.
Those two years saw temperatures about 0.55 degrees Celsius (1 F) above the long term average.
Thirteen of the 14 warmest years on record have occurred in the 21st century, said the agency.
Spectators
cool down in a fountain during the hot weather on day two of the 2014
Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 14, 2014
Last year, for instance, was the hottest year on record in Australia, while the United States measured record highs in 2012.
But, Jarraud stressed, "the underlying trend is undeniable."
"Given the record amounts of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, global temperatures will continue to rise for generations to come," the WMO chief warned.
"Our action, or inaction, to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases will shape the state of our planet for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren."
El Nino weather patterns, which warm surface temperatures, and their cooling La Nina counterparts are major drivers of natural variability in the climate.
But the WMO said neither condition occurred in 2013. That year was warmer than both 2011 and 2012, which were cooled down by La Nina.
A
handout picture taken late on January 8, 2013 and provided by New South
Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW Rural Fire Service) shows trees shows
fire blazing in New South Wales during a summer heatwave
COPY http://www.afp.com/en/
COPY http://www.afp.com/en/
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