BBC news, Fri Jan 19 – Last year was the second or third hottest year on record – after 2016 and on a par with 2015, the data shows. But those two years were affected by El Niño – the natural phenomenon centred on the tropical Pacific Ocean which works to boost temperatures worldwide. Take out this natural variability and 2017 would probably have been the warmest year yet, the researchers say.
The acting director of the UK Met Office, Prof Peter Stott, told BBC News: “It’s extraordinary that temperatures in 2017 have been so high when there’s no El Niño. “Last year was substantially warmer than 1998 which had a very big El Niño. “It shows clearly that the biggest natural influence on the climate is being dwarfed by human activities – predominantly CO₂ emissions.” Read in BBC news
