2026 to be one of 4 warmest years on record, says report released at COP31

NEW DELHI: The year 2026 will be one of the four warmest years on record, with the global average temperature for January-September 2026 touching 1.47 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial times (the average of the 1850-1900 period), according to a new World Meteorological Organisation report.

It added that this global average temperature figure was higher than the full-year averages in 2025 and 2023, and only slightly lower than 2024, which is the warmest year on record.

Moreover, the figure is likely to rise through the end of 2026 because of the warming effect of the prevailing El Nino, which has been intensifying since August and is expected to be the strongest on record by December.

The report, ‘State of the Climate Report’, was released by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on Friday, the first day of this year’s UN climate meeting, known as COP31, in Antalya, Türkiye.

In a statement, WMO secretary general Celeste Saulo said, “The past four years have been the warmest in the 177-year observational record, and the heat in the oceans is breaking records for the tenth year in a row.”

“The ongoing El Nino is forecast to be one of the strongest on record, and the heat it releases from the ocean will continue to fuel high temperatures and extreme weather into 2027,” she added.

The key reason behind the rising global temperatures is that the Earth’s energy imbalance is rising, and the earth system is accumulating heat at an accelerating rate.