Arctic Warming Set to Soar Three Times Faster Than Global Average, UN Weather Agency Warns

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA (The News Pulse)—According to a recent report from the U.N. weather agency released on Wednesday, the globe will likely see additional record-breaking heat in the coming five years, with Arctic regions warming at over triple the pace of the rest of the planet.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report, there’s an 80% probability that at least one among the coming five years will experience record-breaking heat. It also suggests a strong possibility that the mean temperature rise could surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius (or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels.

In the record-books as the warmest year last year witnessed the initial violation of the 2015 Paris climate accord. This pact obligated nations to prevent global temperature rise from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius.

According to the WMO, from this year through the end of 2029, the average global near-surface temperature is projected to range between 1.2°C and 1.9°C above the pre-industrial baseline established during the period of 1850-1900, which will exacerbate extreme weather events.

The statement noted that each extra increment of temperature leads to an increase in damaging heat waves, severe precipitation events, harsher droughts, the thawing of ice sheets, sea ice, and glaciers, along with warmer oceans and higher sea levels.

In the Arctic region, the anticipated excessive warming will speed up ice melting in both the Arctic and the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean.

According to the report, the Arctic region is expected to warm up by more than three-and-a-half times faster compared to the global average, with temperatures rising by an estimated 2.4°C higher than the mean from the latest thirty-year reference period across the upcoming half-decade of winter seasons.

The World Meteorological Organization’s report stated that worldwide temperatures will stay at or close to peak levels through the end of this decade.

The meteorological service predicts above-normal precipitation in regions such as the Sahel, northern Europe, Alaska, and northern Siberia from May through September during the years 2025 to 2029. Conversely, drier than average conditions are anticipated this period across the Amazon region.

(Reported by Olivia Le Poidevin; Edited by Helen Popper)