London: Average global temperatures will rise one degree celcius above industrial levels this year for the first time, according to the UK's Met Office.
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Data from the Met Office and the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, shows 2015 global mean temperatures at 1.02 degrees celcius above levels recorded in the period 1850-1900.
This means the world has already reached the halfway point towards the arbitrary “threshold” of a 2C increase on pre-industrial levels that could result in dangerous global warming.
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According to the scientists, the one degree mark will be broken in 2015 because of a combination of carbon emissions and the impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon.
The World Meteorological Organization had reported that average levels of carbon dioxide exceeded 400 parts per million in the early months of 2015, a rise of 43 percent over pre-industrial levels.
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The reports are likely to add urgency to political negotiations in Paris later this month as diplomats from more than 190 countries participate in the UN talks aimed at securing a new global climate treaty.
