World entering ‘age of climate extremes’: UN chief

The WMO report presents alarming data on climate change indicators, crucial for GS Paper 3. The report notes that 2026 continues a trend where the past 12 years are the hottest on record, pushing average surface temperatures 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels. This dangerously approaches the 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement, beyond which climate impacts become significantly more severe. The data also underscores the accelerating loss of cryosphere (frozen water part of the Earth system), citing massive glacier retreat and ice mass loss in 2025. This contributes directly to rising global sea levels, posing existential threats to low-lying coastal areas and small island developing states (SIDS). The UN's call for a 'just transition' from fossil fuels highlights the need for a shift to renewable energy that is equitable, ensuring that vulnerable communities and developing nations receive necessary financial and technological support, a recurring theme in UNFCCC negotiations.

A key geographical concept highlighted in the article is El Niño, a critical topic in GS Paper 1. El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), characterized by the anomalous warming of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The WMO defines an El Niño event when SSTs are 0.5°C above average, but current forecasts suggest it could reach a highly anomalous 3.8°C above average. This naturally occurring phenomenon acts as a 'risk multiplier' when combined with anthropogenic global warming, significantly disrupting global weather patterns. For India, a strong El Niño is typically associated with a deficient southwest monsoon, leading to droughts and impacting agriculture. Conversely, it can cause severe flooding in parts of South America. The article notes the development of an La Niña (the cool phase of ENSO), which often follows El Niño and brings contrasting weather patterns, such as heavier monsoons in India.

The increasing frequency of 'climate extremes' demands enhanced disaster preparedness and climate adaptation strategies. The WMO highlights the intensification of heatwaves, tropical cyclones, and rainstorms beyond historical baselines. This necessitates a shift from reactive disaster response to proactive disaster risk reduction (DRR), aligning with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. A positive development noted is the increase in countries with multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS), growing from 55 in 2015 to 136. However, the WMO stresses the need for sustained investment in global observation networks and data forecasting. For UPSC, understanding the components of MHEWS (risk knowledge, monitoring/warning service, dissemination/communication, and response capability) is essential. The UN chief's call for 'finance and protection' for vulnerable countries underscores the contentious issue of climate finance and the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, established at recent COPs to compensate nations facing irreversible climate impacts.