UN Warns 2027 Could Become Hottest Year on Record

The United Nations has warned that 2027 could become the hottest year ever recorded, as a developing El Niño weather phenomenon is expected to intensify global temperatures and trigger more extreme weather conditions.

The warning was issued on Monday by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) as world leaders gathered in Turkey for the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31).

WMO Secretary-General, Celeste Saulo, said the expected strong El Niño could worsen the effects of climate change by increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, tropical cyclones and heavy rainfall.

She described the phenomenon as a major risk multiplier, warning that extreme weather events were becoming more severe compared with historical patterns.

According to the report, the average global surface temperature between January and September 2026 was approximately 1.47 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The report noted that the margin of uncertainty was 0.13 degrees Celsius, suggesting that the world may already have crossed the critical 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold. The world previously exceeded that level in 2024.

The WMO also highlighted the devastating impact of extreme weather conditions recorded across different parts of the world this year.

Preliminary estimates indicated that heatwaves, drought and wildfires across Europe contributed to more than 30,000 excess deaths.

In India, extreme heat recorded in April affected approximately 146.5 million people, while more than 1,300 people reportedly died following a glacier collapse and flash flooding in the Himalayas in August.

The report further disclosed that global average sea levels reached a record high this year, with experts suggesting that the developing El Niño phenomenon may have contributed to the increase by shifting rainfall patterns from land to the oceans.

Saulo warned that the developing El Niño, which is expected to continue into 2027, could become the strongest recorded since 1950.

The climate phenomenon, which occurs every few years, is associated with rising global temperatures and increased risks of extreme weather events.

However, the WMO stressed that climate change remains a major contributor to rising sea levels.

According to the report, glaciers across the world lost more than 400 gigatonnes of ice in 2025, an amount equivalent to approximately one millimetre of global sea-level rise.

The WMO’s Head of Climate Information, John Kennedy, explained that the additional heat, energy and moisture associated with El Niño would worsen the existing dangers posed by long-term climate change.

Kennedy also observed that El Niño events had become more frequent during the 20th and 21st centuries, although he cautioned against directly attributing the trend to climate change.

The WMO’s warning comes amid growing international concerns over rising global temperatures, worsening environmental conditions and the increasing threat of climate-related disasters.

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