Forecast is slightly cooler than the record 1.55C reached in 2024, but 2026 set to be among four hottest years since 1850
Next year will bring heat more than 1.4C above preindustrial levels, meteorologists project, as fossil fuel pollution continues to bake the Earth and fuel extreme weather.
The UK Met Office’s central forecast is slightly cooler than the 1.55C reached in 2024, the warmest year on record, but 2026 is set to be among the four hottest years dating back to 1850.
A blanket of carbon smothering the Earth has begun to jeopardise the stable conditions in which humanity has thrived, worsening weather extremes and increasing the risk of catastrophic tipping points. The Met Office expects 2026 will be between 1.34C and 1.58C hotter than the average from 1850-1900.
“The last three years are all likely to have exceeded 1.4C, and we expect 2026 will be the fourth year in succession to do this,” said Adam Scaife, a climate scientist at the Met Office who led the forecast. “Prior to this surge, the previous global temperature had not exceeded 1.3C.”
