Global warming: World already halfway towards threshold that could result in dangerous climate change, say scientists

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Record warm temperatures measured in the first nine months of this year mean that the world has already reached the halfway point towards the arbitrary “threshold” of a 2C increase on pre-industrial levels judged to be potentially dangerous for climate change, the Met Office said. open image in gallery The sun rises over an oil field over the Monterey Shale formation where gas and oil extraction using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is on the verge of a boom on March 24, 2014 near Lost Hills, California “We have seen a strong El Niňo develop in the Tropical Pacific this year and that will have had some impact on this year’s global temperature,” said Stephen Belcher, director of the Met Office Hadley Centre near Exeter, which analysed the HadCRUT global temperature dataset with the Climate Research Centre at the University of East Anglia. The current El Nino, which is almost certainly to be among the top three strongest events since 1950, is likely to continue into the first few months of next year which means that 2016 is also likely to be a warm year, continuing the trend of rising global average temperatures that continue to fluctuate due to natural variability, the Met Office said. “This year marks an important first but that doesn’t necessarily mean every year from now on will be a degree or more above pre-industrial levels, as natural variability will still play a role in determining the temperature in any given year,” said Peter Stott, head of the Met Office’s climate modelling and attribution.