The forecast for the next five years: More deadly heat, more extreme weather

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Global temperatures are forecast to reach record or near-record levels during the next five years, setting the stage for more deadly extreme weather, according to an annual report from two of the world’s top meteorological agencies.

There is now a 70% chance that global warming over the next five years will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius, Wednesday’s report from the World Meteorological Organization and UK Met Office found.

More than 1.5 degrees of global warming increases the risks of more severe impacts, including triggering tipping points in the climate system . Melting sea ice and glaciers could soon reach a point of no return, with dramatic implications for sea level rise, scientists ha