Global Temperature and Carbon Dioxide Concentration May Reach Record Levels in 2026
According to Copernicus and Met Office data, 2026 is a candidate to rank among the hottest years in history. Driven by the El Niño effect, carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is also expected to increase at a record level.
The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service and the United Kingdom's meteorological office, the Met Office, have shared critical climate data for 2026. According to projections, 2026 will conclude with a temperature 1.5 °C above pre-industrial averages and carries the potential to be one of the two hottest years in history.
According to Copernicus data, global average temperatures last October were 1.75 °C above pre-industrial (1850-1900) October averages. The fact that temperatures have continuously hovered above the 1.5 °C threshold for the past three months indicates that 2026, alongside 2024, could reach record levels. This situation is stated to be fundamentally rooted in the severe El Niño effect.
The Met Office, meanwhile, draws attention to the impact of these temperature increases on carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. According to the organization's forecasts, carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere will rise to the level of 432.2 ± 0.5 ppm with an increase of 3.51 ± 0.52 ppm in 2027. This increase is stated to stem from El Niño-induced droughts and temperature rises reducing the carbon absorption capacity of vegetation.
Assessment: Scientist Emily Wright states that without the El Niño effect, the increase in 2027 could have remained at the level of 2.57 ppm instead of 3.51 ppm. These data reveal that natural cycles in the climate system combine with human-induced emissions to accelerate atmospheric changes.
Sources
- yesilekonomi.com · Link