Doha, June 01 (QNA) - It has become increasingly apparent and undeniable that the world is moving into a new and intensely warmer climate phase, one that ranks among the most formidable challenges in modern human history.

In recent years, global average temperatures have reached unprecedented levels compared with the pre-industrial period, turning global warming into a tangible reality that is affecting every continent and society without exception.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the planet is entering a climate phase characterized by the continued recording of record temperatures and a near-permanent proximity to the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold established under the Paris Agreement.

This trend is accompanied by a marked upsurge in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, including severe heat waves, floods, droughts, and violent storms.

These developments are no longer merely scientific projections; rather, they have become a lived reality for millions of people and are steadily gnawing away at environmental, economic, and social stability on a global scale.

In its latest climate report, WMO underscores that the next five years will be pivotal in determining the trajectory of the global climate for decades to come.

During this critical period, the international community will either succeed in curbing emissions and enhancing climate adaptation efforts or find itself confronting consequences that are far more severe and costly for current and future generations alike.

The organization warned that the world is drawing perilously close to recording the warmest year on record before the end of the current decade, amid accelerating climate-crisis impacts and rising emissions generated by fossil fuels.

WMO also warned that 2027 could shatter existing temperature records to become the hottest year in recorded history. It pointed to the continued momentum of global warming in the years ahead, expecting global temperatures to remain at or near record levels between 2026 and 2030.

Global warming is also expected to unfold unevenly across regions. Polar regions, particularly the Arctic, are projected to experience temperature increases well above the global average, while land areas will warm more rapidly than oceans.

Some regions are expected to receive increased precipitation, whereas others may witness a sharp decline in rainfall.

Precipitation is forecast to rise across Northern Europe, Alaska, and Siberia over the next five years, while the Amazon region -often described as the “lungs of the Earth”- could become significantly drier.

The report updates annual climate data; reviews observed climate conditions over the previous five years and provides regional forecasts for temperature and precipitation over the next five years.

It projects that the global near-surface temperature during the 2026-2030 period will range between 1.3°C and 1.9°C above the 1850-1900 average.

In addition, the report assigns an 86% probability that at least one year between 2026 and 2030 will surpass the current record for the warmest year on record, a distinction presently held by 2024.

In a stark reminder of the risks posed by the climate crisis, the WMO report coincided with a record-breaking heat wave that swept across large parts of Europe, causing fatalities and prompting several European countries to impose restrictions and precautionary measures, including limits on outdoor work during peak heat hours.

These developments eloquently illustrate the magnitude of the challenge facing the international community and highlight the urgent need for an integrated institutional effort and an interconnected operational framework to address one of the defining issues of our time.

The climate warnings come at a time when the world is grappling with a severe global food crisis, with projections indicating that nearly 670 million people will continue to face hunger through 2030.

Climate shocks, the global water crisis, biodiversity loss, and other mounting challenges continue to undermine global food security and push more people into hunger.

Extreme heat further exacerbates these risks, intensifying drought, wildfires, and pest outbreaks, while triggering sharp declines in crop yields once critical temperature thresholds are breached.

Last April, the United Nations warned that extreme heat waves are pushing global agrifood systems to the brink of collapse, threatening the livelihoods and health of more than one billion people.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that extreme heat waves have become more frequent, intense, and prolonged, causing damage to crops, livestock, fisheries, and forests.

They added that extreme heat is not only redrawing the map of what farmers, fishers, and forestry workers can cultivate and when they can cultivate it, but is also determining, in some cases, whether they can continue working at all.

This, in turn, places global food security before a highly uncertain future and steadily gnaws away at one of humanity's principal areas of strength: its ability to sustain reliable food production.

WMO had warned in March that record greenhouse gas concentrations continue to drive land and ocean temperatures toward unprecedented levels.

The organization said that this continued rise portends severe long-term consequences for humanity, warning that the Earth's climate has become more out of balance than at any other time in recorded history.

It further confirmed that last year recorded temperatures approximately 1.43 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 baseline average, in addition to setting a record for ocean heat.

In addition, WMO noted that, as glacier retreat and ice melt continue, ocean warming and land ice melt are contributing to the long-term rise in global mean sea level.

It described these findings as a powerful impetus for intensifying efforts to provide life-saving forecasts and early warning systems to those who can protect lives and livelihoods, enabling them to mitigate the devastating impacts of ongoing climate disruptions on the most vulnerable populations.

It has issued annual climate updates for more than three decades, and the record-breaking indicators registered over the past decade have become a growing source of concern.

Under the Paris Agreement, which entered into force in November 2016, nearly 200 countries agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Scientists and environmental advocates have repeatedly warned, however, that achieving this target- namely avoiding the worst impacts of climate change- is becoming increasingly unlikely, as the world moves ever closer to a climate trajectory that many experts regard as unalterable without far more ambitious action to curb emissions and accelerate climate adaptation. (QNA)