This year is expected to be one of the hottest of seven on record, according to a new report.
All seven record-setting years have been recorded since 2014, according to the United Nations World Meteorological Organization’s “State of Climate in 2021” report.
The organization noted that because of a temporary cooling “La Niña” event early in the year, 2021 is on track to be “only” the fifth to seventh hottest year on record. The last notable La Niña event occured in 2011.
The report added that “global sea level rise” was on track to hit a new high in 2021.
The report comes as world leaders gather in Scotland for the United Nations COP26 conference from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12.
“The provisional WMO State of the Global Climate 2021 report draws from the latest scientific evidence to show how our planet is changing before our eyes,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in statement. “From the ocean depths to mountain tops, from melting glaciers to relentless extreme weather events, ecosystems and communities around the globe are being devastated. COP26 must be a turning point for people and planet.”
Leaders attending the climate summit will gather in Glasgow to discuss ways to reduce global warming to a target of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.