BRUSSELS/GENEVA: Each of the past 12 months ranked as the warmest on record in year-on-year comparisons, the EU’s climate change monitoring service said on Wednesday, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent action to avert “climate hell.”
The average global temperature for the 12-month period to the end of May was 1.63 degrees Celsius (2.9 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial average — making it the warmest such period since record-keeping began in 1940, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said.
This 12-month average does not mean that the world has yet surpassed the 1.5 C (2.7 F) global warming threshold, which describes a temperature average over decades, beyond which scientists warn of more extreme and irreversible impacts.
In a separate report, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said there is now an 80 percent chance that at least one of the next five years will mark the first calendar year with an average temperature that temporarily exceeds 1.5C above pre-industrial levels — up from a 66 percent chance last year.
Speaking about the findings, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized how quickly the world was heading in the wrong direction and away from stabilizing its climate system.
“In 2015, the chance of such a breach was near zero,” Guterres said in a speech marking World Environment Day.
With time running out to reverse course, Guterres urged a 30 percent cut in global fossil fuel production and use by 2030.
“We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell,” he said, adding: “The battle for 1.5 degrees will be won or lost in the 2020s.”

’WAY OFF TRACK’
Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels — the main cause of climate change — hit a record high last year despite global agreements designed to curb their release and a rapid expansion in renewable energy.
Coal, oil and gas still provide more than three quarters of the world’s energy, with global oil demand remaining strong.
The latest climate data show that the world is “way off track” from its goal of limiting warming to 1.5 C — the key target of the world’s 2015 Paris Accord, WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett said.
“We must urgently do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions, or we will pay an increasingly heavy price in terms of trillions of dollars in economic costs, millions of lives affected by more extreme weather, and extensive damage to the environment and biodiversity,” Barrett said.
Barrett described the cooling effect of La Nina weather conditions, which are expected to take hold later this year, as “a mere blip in the upward curve” in the heat felt across the globe.
“We all need to know that we need to reverse this curve and we need to do it urgently,” she said.
While last year registered as the warmest calendar year on record at 1.45 C (2.61 F) above pre-industrial temperatures, at least one of the next five years is likely to be even warmer than 2023, the WMO data show.
Scientists at Copernicus said there were some surprising developments — such as the steep loss of Antarctic sea ice in recent months — but that the overall climate data were in line with projections of how rising greenhouse gas emissions would heat the planet.
“We have not seen anything like this in the last several thousand years,” said Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo.
Guterres took aim at fossil fuel companies.
“The Godfathers of climate chaos – the fossil fuel industry – rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies,” he said.
Drawing a comparison with many governments’ restrictions on advertising for harmful substances like tobacco, he said, “I urge every country to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies, and I urge news media and tech companies to stop taking fossil fuel advertising.”

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated on Wednesday his election win and historic third term, but the victory was bittersweet as his Bharatiya Janata Party lost its absolute majority in parliament for the first time in 10 years.

India’s seven-phase election began on April 19 and ended on Saturday, with 642 million people casting their ballots to choose 543 members of Lok Sabha, the lower house.

Modi was targeting 400 seats for the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP, but on Tuesday evening election officials counted the votes and the result was nowhere close. While the alliance crossed the halfway mark of 272 to form the government, it did so only by 11 seats.

The Hindu nationalist BJP emerged as the alliance’s single largest party but with 240 seats it did not win a majority on its own. While Modi is only the second Indian prime minister — after Jawaharlal Nehru — to succeed in three consecutive polls, he will be reliant on coalition partners to keep him in government.

Two other members of the alliance, the Telugu Desam Party — a player in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh — and the Janata Dal (United) party from the eastern state of Bihar, pledged their support on Wednesday.

According to observers, Modi’s dependence on coalition members is likely to bring change to Indian politics after 10 years of one-party rule.

“Political parties will be more demanding, making this government more accountable,” analyst and political editor Sanjay Kapoor told Arab News.

“In the past 10 years we had one party with absolute majority running the affairs of the state … with this election, with the BJP falling short of majority, many things will change.”

Umakant Lakhera, a political commentator, doubts the coalition will last, given that the leaders of TDP and JD are not BJP’s natural allies.

“They are not ideological friends. They are known to change sides,” he said. “Keeping this in mind, Modi’s third term looks shaky and it would be an unstable government.”

Some voters are also expecting turbulence.

“I’m a bit unsure that there will be any stability in the coming few years. I think from the power struggles, governments could change, collapse and that is obviously not good for us,” said Yash Charan, a law student in Delhi.

But he said it was interesting to watch the changing dynamics and the opposition’s return to the political scene after a decade-long lull.

“I think it’s quite significant in our political history. I think it’s good to have a strong opposition, having more representation, having more voices in parliament.”

Modi was challenged by an alliance of two dozen opposition parties — the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance — led by the Congress Party, which ruled the country for close to 45 years following its independence in 1947.

Congress plunged to a historic low when it was swept out of power by the BJP in 2014 and won its second-lowest number of seats, 52, in 2019. In 2024, the party won 99 of the 223 seats secured by the India alliance.

For Vamika Kapoor, 21, who was among the 18 million first-time voters, Congress’ significant presence in the new parliament was a landmark development.

“It reflected that the opposition can actually unite and put up a bold front and the people are not powerless, so it’s a democracy. I think it kept the spirit of democracy,” she said.

“I think everyone knew what the result would be, it was pretty obvious, but nobody expected such a massive landslide for the opposition this time. And it is in contrast to the last two elections.”

Modi is expected to be sworn in on Saturday.

His followers expect his third term to be defined by policies of development and making India more visible on the international scene.

“Consistency, actions against corruption and betterment of institutions to push India’s developmental march (are a) priority of Modi in the third term,” BJP spokesperson Sudesh Verma told Arab News.

Modi has been credited with using India’s presidency of the Group of 20 largest economies in 2023 as a platform to promote the country’s foreign policy goals, culture and investment opportunities.

It was also during his last term that India’s space exploration program reached several milestones making it an emerging superpower in the industry.

Hitesh Shankar, editor of the Hindu magazine Panchjanya, said: “His reelection means that India’s significance in the international arena will increase further. He has helped India get a new identity on the international front and his third term furthers India’s image.

“Be it a coalition government or not, Modi’s imprint will always be there in the government. He is a mature politician … I don’t think Modi will face any problems in running the government as many are fearing. Modi can handle all the situations quite well.”