This decade set to be hottest in history, UN says

The 2010s are set to be the hottest decade in history, the United Nations said Tuesday in an annual assessment of climate change.

The World Meteorological Organization said global temperatures so far this year were 1.1 degrees Celsius (two degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial average, putting 2019 on course to be in the top three warmest years ever recorded.

Man-made emissions from burning fossil fuels, building infrastructure, growing crops, and transporting goods mean 2019 is set to break the record for atmospheric carbon concentrations, locking in further warming, according to the WMO.

Oceans, which absorb 90 percent of the excess heat produced by greenhouse gases, are now at their highest recorded temperatures, AFP said, citing the statement. Each of the last four decades has been hotter than the last, the report added.