Climate summit starts – before the hottest year ever?

COP31

Climate summit starts – before the hottest year ever?

More heat waves, droughts, forest fires and floods – the climate crisis is striking around the globe. Can the World Climate Conference in Antalya send a stop signal despite political conflicts?

After a year of climate catastrophes, the world is probably heading for another extreme year. In view of the climate crisis that has barely been slowed down, humanity must prepare for the fact that 2027 could be the warmest year ever recorded, as the World Weather Organization (WMO) announced at the start of the two-week UN climate conference in Turkey Antalya warned.

The natural climate phenomenon El Niño, which is unprecedentedly strong this time, acts like a risk amplifier for man-made global warming, explained WMO boss Celeste Saulo. “Heat waves, tropical cyclones and storm with Heavy rain “The current El Niño, which lasts until spring, is likely to be the strongest since 1950. The phenomenon, which occurs every few years, causes extreme weather and rising temperatures.

According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, a new era of climate extremes has dawned. “And those who are least responsible are the first to suffer and the most severely affected.” Guterres appealed to government representatives at the climate conference with tens of thousands of delegates to get serious: They must reduce harmful emissions more quickly, accelerate the decision to move away from oil, gas and coal and provide the states at risk with the necessary finance and protection.

Also the hosts of the conference, this time by the Türkiye and Australia organized together, called for speed. Delays in climate protection are expensive, said Turkish Environment Minister and summit president Murat Kurum. Today, climate policy is also policy for development, nutrition, energy and health. “And above all, it is a policy to protect the human future,” said Kurum. “A drought in one part of the world can be felt at the dinner table in another.”

According to the WMO, the past twelve years have been the warmest since records began – and the past four years have been the four warmest ever.

The world actually wanted to stop global warming at 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times in order to avert the most catastrophic consequences of the climate crisis. According to the United Nations, it is now inevitable that the mark will be exceeded, at least temporarily, because the world has, despite the decision in the Paris Climate Agreement, emitted too many climate-damaging greenhouse gases. The aim now is to keep exceeding the critical mark as short as possible.

According to the UN environmental program UNEP, the earth is currently heading for 2.8 degrees of warming compared to pre-industrial times by the end of the century with current global climate policy.