United Nations: 2020 may be third hottest year on record

United Nations: 2020 may be third hottest year on record. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has described the fight against the climate crisis as the top priority for the 21st century. This year is on track to be one of the three hottest on record, completing a series of six years that have all been warmer than any year ever measured before. The unstoppable rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels - a phenomenon that continued despite a lull during the pandemic - will fuel the rise in temperature for decades to come. “The global average temperature in 2020 is expected to be around 1.2 ° C above the pre-industrial level (1850-1900).

Record hot years usually coincide with a strong El Niño event, such as 2016. We are now experiencing a La Niña, which has a cooling effect on global temperatures, but has not been enough to hold back the heat. Despite the current conditions in La Niña, this year it has already shown near-record heat comparable to the previous record of 2016 ", said Prof. Taalas." We have seen new extreme temperatures on land, sea and especially in the Arctic. The fires consumed large areas in Australia, Siberia, the west coast of the United States and South America. “In November we saw a record number of hurricanes in the Atlantic, including unprecedented Category 4 hurricanes in Central America. Report: www.italianews.org