2026 'most likely' to be second-hottest year on record: EU monitor

The world is on track for 2026 to be the second-hottest year on record, with global temperatures virtually certain to exceed 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the EU's climate monitor said Friday.

Ducks drink from what is left of Heath Park Lake which has dried up due to the current water shortage, Runcorn, UK, August 19, 2026. (Photo: VCG)

This year also has a "20 percent chance of tying or exceeding" 2024 as the warmest ever seen, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a monthly bulletin.