We are in the hottest five years for over 120 years. Experts say we should be afraid of it.

Year 2018, according to independent studies, confirmed by Goddard's NASA Space Research Institute (GISS) and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is the fourth warmest year since 1880.

GISS Director Gavin Schmidt explains:

"2018 is another extremely warm year in the long-term trend of global warming."

On a global scale, last year's temperatures remain below the values ​​of 2015, 2016 and 2017, but still confirm the trend of constant warming. At a time when climate change is an intensely debated political issue, this is not the best news. According to scientists, global temperatures in 2018 were 0,83 ° C higher than the average from 1951 to 1980. But as experts from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) explain, lengthening periods of record temperatures are far more important than just looking at individual years.

Global warming and its influence

Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization Petteri Taalas

"The long-term temperature trend is much more significant than the order of individual years and this trend is upward. The 22 warmest years have been recorded in the last 20 years. The rate of warming over the last four years has been exceptional both on land and in the ocean. And temperatures are only part of the problem. Extreme and high-impact weather affected many countries and millions of people in 2018, with devastating consequences for economies and ecosystems. ”

Many extreme meteorological phenomena correspond to what we expect from a changing climate. This is the reality with which we must deal. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other adaptation measures to climate change should be a key global priority.

From the beginning of watching the temperature on Earth increased by 1 ° C. Although it may seem small, the consequences are enormous. Climate change often affects regional temperatures, so the warming rate varies from region to region. The strongest warming trends are in the Arctic region, where 2018 scientists observed a continuous decline in sea ice. The decrease in the volume of ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica is still contributing to rising sea levels. It is expected that the WMO will release 2019 in March of the full 2018 climate statement.