United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has warned that accelerating climate change and an exceptionally strong El Niño event are intensifying global temperature extremes.
António Guterres issued the warning as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its State of the Climate Update 2026 on the opening day of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.
According to the UN Chief, “we have entered a new age of climate extremes.”
“A supersized El Niño is colliding with a planet already superheated by manmade climate change. Climate records keep falling. The human costs keep rising. And those least responsible are suffering first and worst.”
António Guterres
The UN chief urged world leaders to accelerate emissions reductions, advance a just transition away from fossil fuels and provide vulnerable countries with the financing and protection needed to confront escalating climate threats.
El Niño Intensifies Global Warming and Extreme Weather Risks
The WMO report highlights the growing influence of El Niño, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that releases heat from the ocean into the atmosphere, potentially intensifying global temperatures and extreme weather conditions.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo described the current climate situation as unprecedented, warning that the strong El Niño event could prolong extreme heat and weather disruptions well into 2027.
“El Niño and indeed the state of the global climate in 2026 gives new meaning to the phrase off the charts. El Niño doesn’t add new heat to the planet. It releases heat from the ocean, which is the warmest ever measured. There is simply more heat available to release.”
Celeste Saulo
According to the WMO report, global average surface temperature between January and September 2026 stood at approximately 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels. However, the WMO expects the figure to increase as the El Niño phenomenon strengthens, with forecasts indicating that it could become the strongest recorded since at least 1950.
“We are supercharging our weather, and El Niño will be a risk multiplier. Heatwaves, tropical cyclones, and rainstorms are intensifying faster than our historical baselines prepared us for,” she cautioned.
She also highlighted the growing human consequences of extreme weather, noting that hundreds of millions of people had experienced severe heat conditions in 2026, while catastrophic ice and rock collapses and flash floods in Nepal demonstrated the compound risks facing communities in vulnerable mountain environments.
The report further indicates that the Earth’s energy imbalance has reached its highest level since monitoring began, as greenhouse gas emissions trap increasing amounts of heat and disrupt the balance between energy received from the sun and energy released into space.
Rising Sea Levels and Melting Glaciers Deepen Climate Concerns
The WMO also emphasised worsening changes across the global environment, including record-high sea levels, declining freshwater storage and continued glacier retreat.
Global sea levels reached their highest recorded levels in 2026, while sea-surface temperatures also registered monthly records during the year, reflecting the growing accumulation of heat within the climate system.
Glaciers continued their long-term decline, with the annual ice mass lost in 2025 equivalent to filling five Olympic-sized swimming pools every second throughout the year.
Freshwater storage has also been declining since 2014, raising concerns about the availability of water resources and the growing pressures facing communities, agriculture and ecosystems.
Despite the worsening outlook, the WMO identified progress in the expansion of multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS), which help countries prepare for and respond to climate-related disasters.
The number of countries reporting the existence of these systems increased from 56 in 2015 to 136 in 2025, reflecting growing international efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and protect vulnerable populations.
WMO Chief stressed that sustained investment in global observation networks and forecasting capabilities would remain essential as climate risks become increasingly difficult to predict using historical weather patterns.
“We cannot afford to fly blind,” she warned, calling for stronger support for the scientific infrastructure needed to monitor changing climate conditions and protect communities.
WMO Calls for Stronger Climate Action Ahead of 2027
The necessity for states to convert international climate commitments into workable solutions capable of managing increasing temperatures and their effects is brought back to light by the publication of the climate update at COP31.
World leaders attending the conference in Antalya are urged to demonstrate greater ambition in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels and ensuring vulnerable countries receive adequate climate financing.
The WMO also emphasised that accurate and sustained climate monitoring would be essential to strengthening early warning systems, improving risk assessments and supporting decisions across economies and societies.
Meanwhile, a comprehensive State of the Global Climate 2026 report is expected in March 2027, incorporating further scientific contributions from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, regional climate centres, United Nations partners and experts within the WMO community.
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