Melting ice, hurricanes, droughts... 2017 was one of the hottest years in history

Record heat waves and dry conditions have led to massive forest fires in Europe this year. – Reuters

The year isn’t over yet, but we can already be sure that 2017 will be among the three hottest years ever recorded for the globe, according to a statement issued by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). This is a reflection of global warming, the core issue that the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2017 in Bonn, Germany in November was grappling with.

What is more remarkable is that this year’s warmth comes without a boost from El Niño. The average global temperature between January to September this year was roughly 1.1°C warmer than the pre-industrial average. This trend is associated with increased greenhouse gas concentrations, and this year we have seen record high global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels.