London: With each passing year, the Earth is getting hotter and warmer. Come 2016, the year is set to be the warmest on record, according to a global forecast by the UK’s Met Office.
Man-made climate change, as well as the El Niño oceanic phenomenon — from unusually warm waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean — are cited as the reasons for the hot conditions.
Professor Chris Folland, a Met Office research fellow, said: “2015 is on track to be the warmest year on record, and this forecast suggests 2016 is likely to be at least as warm, if not warmer.”
The global outlook for 2016 is warmer than the Met Office’s forecast for 2015, which had a range of 0.52C to 0.76C. The Met Office forecast is based on the “key drivers” of global climate change, and does not take into account random events, such as large volcanic eruptions which can cause a temporary cooling effect.
The average global temperature for 2016 is expected to be between 0.72C and 0.96C warmer than the average temperature of 14C. Professor Adam Scaife from the Met Office, said: “This forecast suggests that by the end of 2016 we will have seen three record.”
