Two-thirds (67%) of UK corporates will be disclosing climate-related risks and opportunities in their 2019 annual reporting, according to new figures released by the Carbon Trust.

The Met Office global temperature forecast is forecasting that 2019 will be close to record warmth due to climate change and the added effect of El Niño-related warming in the Pacific. The Met Office global temperature forecast is forecasting that 2019 will be close to record warmth due to climate change and the added effect of El Niño-related warming in the Pacific.

Since 1850, 2016 is the warmest year on record with a central estimate of 1.15 °C above the same baseline. Now the Met Office says that the global average temperature for 2019 looks set to be between 0.98 °C and 1.22°C, with a central estimate of 1.10 °C, above the pre-industrial average period from 1850–1900.

Image: Graph showing global average temperature relative to the 1850–1900 baseline. The grey line and shading

shows the 95% uncertainty range. The forecast value for 2019 and its uncertainty range are shown in black and green.

Modest warming from El Niño combined with much larger effects due to rising levels of greenhouse gases are driving the 2019 temperature forecast.

Professor Adam Scaife, head of long-range prediction at the Met Office, said:

“Our forecasts suggest that by the end of 2019, 19 of the 20 warmest years on record will have occurred since the year 2000."

The forecast is based on the key drivers of the global climate, but it does not include unpredictable events, such as a large volcanic eruption, which would cause a temporary cooling.

The Met Office’s forecast for the 2018 global mean temperature, issued at the end of 2017 (0.88 °C to 1.12 °C with a central estimate of 1.00 °C), agrees closely with the latest observations of global temperature so far this year. Data from Jan-Oct 2018 shows the global mean temperature is 0.96±0.12 °C above pre-industrial levels.

Dr Doug Smith, Met Office research fellow, added:

“The forecast for 2019 would place next year amongst the five warmest years on record, which would all have occurred since 2015. All of these years have been around 1 °C warmer than the pre-industrial period”.

A new report from the World Economic Forum is warning that environmental degradation is the long-term risk that defines our age, with four of the top five most impactful global risks in 2019 related to climate change.

This year's ‘Beast from the East’ freeze thaw and prolonged summer heatwave has had what is described as an “enduring impact” on leakage for Thames Water, despite the utility's best repair performance in 10 years. 

The Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) is warning that some water companies could be “skating on thin ice” unless they are better prepared to meet the needs of all consumers during any major disruption to water supplies.

A new report by the Met Office which reveals further details about changes in the UK’s climate since the 1960 shows that heatwaves in the UK are lasting twice as long as they did 50 years ago.

A report published today by the Consumer Council for Water to coincide with the publication of Ofwat’s review of the Beast from the East disruption says nearly three quarters of households and businesses that were off supply did not receive any alternative emergency supplies of water. 

Ofwat has announced it will conduct a review of the water supply issues experienced by customers across England and Wales during the recent severe weather conditions.

The water industry regulator Ofwat has strongly criticised some of the water companies for leaving some customers “high and dry” in the face of ongoing water supply issues resulting from this week’s extreme weather.

Thousands of homes across the UK have been left without water as pipes burst as a result of the thaw which has followed freezing temperatures.