Peter Kenny
14 January 2021•Update: 15 January 2021
GENEVA
The year 2020 was one of the three warmest on record, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Thursday, with a naturally occurring cooling climate phenomenon La Nina putting a brake on the heat only at the very end.
The warmest six years have all been since 2015, with 2016, 2019, and 2020 being the top three, said the WMO.
The differences in average global temperatures among the three warmest years – 2016, 2019, and 2020 – are indistinguishably small.
The average global temperature in 2020 was about 14.9 degrees Celsius (58.8 Fahrenheit), 1.2 (± 0.1) C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) level.
"The confirmation by the World Meteorological Organization that 2020 was one of the warmest years on record is yet another stark reminder of the relentless pace of climate change, which is destroying lives and livelihoods across our planet," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
"Today, we are at 1.2 degrees of warming and already witnessing unprecedented weather extremes in every region and on every continent."
The UN chief said the world is headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of 3 to 5 degrees C this century.
"Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top priority for everyone, everywhere," Guterres said in the statement.
The La Nina event, which began in late 2020, is expected to continue into early to mid-2021, said the weather body.
La Nina and El Nino effects on average global temperature are typically strongest in the second year of the event, said the WMO.
Scientists will examine the extent to which the continued cooling effects of La Nina in 2021 may temporarily diminish the overall long-term warming trend during this coming year.
Sustained heat and wildfires in Siberia and low Arctic sea ice extent, as well as the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, were among the standout features of 2020.
Temperature is just one of the indicators of climate change, according to the WMO.
The others are greenhouse gas concentrations, ocean heat content, ocean pH, global mean sea level, glacial mass, sea ice extent, and extreme events.
