UN warns of new age of climate extremes as El Nino threatens hotter 2027

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned at the COP31 summit in Antalya that the world has entered a "new age of climate extremes," urging leaders to "get serious" about the crisis as a record-strength El Nino threatens even hotter conditions. The UN's World Meteorological Organization reported that 2026 has extended a run of exceptional global temperatures, with each of the past 12 years ranking among the hottest on record. WMO chief Celeste Saulo cautioned the current El Nino could make 2027 another record-breaking year, as global average surface temperatures reached about 1.47 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The report also recorded the highest global sea level on record, dwindling freshwater, and continued glacier retreat. However, the WMO noted progress on early warning systems, which grew from 55 countries in 2015 to 136 last year, urging more investment in such protections.