Iraqi weather observer says past five years were hottest on record

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi weather observer Sadiq Attia said the past five years have recorded the highest global average temperatures since climate records began, attributing the trend to a sharp rise in warming. He noted that 2024 became the hottest year on record, with the global average temperature climbing 1.53 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — the first time the annual average breached the 1.5-degree threshold. Attia added that projections based on current global climate models, El Niño development scenarios and other climate factors indicate that temperatures in some years through 2027 could rise between 1.7 and 2.0 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline. He cited graphics published by The Climate Brink showing accelerating global warming and repeated breaches of the 1.5-degree limit set by the Paris Climate Agreement, which countries have pledged not to exceed. In a post on his Facebook page, Attia called for stronger international efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the effects of climate change.