Eight warmest years on record

Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt - The past eight years are on track to be the eight warmest on record, fuelled by ever-rising greenhouse gas concentrations and accumulated heat, the World Meteorological Organisation latest report says.

Extreme heatwaves, drought and devastating flooding have affected millions and cost billions of dollars this year.

The tell-tale signs and impacts of climate change are becoming more dramatic. The rate of sea level rise has doubled since 1993.

It has risen by nearly 10 mm since January 2020 to a new record high this year. The past two and a half years alone account for 10 percent of the overall rise in sea level since satellite measurements started nearly 30 years ago.

This year has taken an exceptionally heavy toll on European, with initial indications of record-shattering melt. The Greenland ice sheet lost mass for the 26th consecutive year and it rained rather than snowed there for the first time in September.

The global mean temperature in 2022 is currently estimated to be about 1.15Cdeg above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.

A rare triple-dip cooling La Niña means that 2022 is likely to only be fifth or sixth warmest. However, this does not reverse the long-term trend; it is only a matter of time until there is another warmest year on record.

Ocean heat was at record levels in 2021 the latest year assessed, with the warming rate particularly high in the past 20 years.

Concentrations of the main greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide once again reached record levels in 2021.

The annual increase in methane concentration was the highest on record. Data from key monitoring stations show atmospheric levels of the three gases continue to increase in 2022.

Overall, 55 percent of the ocean surface experienced at least one marine heatwave in 2022. In contrast only 22 percent of the ocean surface experienced a marine cold spell. Marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent, in contrast to cold waves.

Record breaking rain in July and August led to extensive flooding in Pakistan. There were at least 1700 deaths, 33 million people affected and almost eight million people were displaced. The flooding came hard on the heels of an extreme heatwave in March and April in both India and Pakistan.