The WMO Statement on the Status of the Global Climate in 2011 indicates that 2011 was the 11th warmest year on record, and highlights other precipitation, extreme events and sea ice findings.
WMO also announced preliminary findings of the upcoming Decadal Global Climate Summary, showing that climate change accelerated in 2001-2010.
23 March, 2012: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released the “WMO Statement on the Status of the Global Climate in 2011,” which indicates that 2011 was the 11th warmest year on record.
When accounting for La Niña, which has a cooling influence, the statement confirmed preliminary findings that 2011 was the warmest year since records began in 1850. The statement also reported on the continued decline of Arctic sea-ice extent, and highlighted a number of climate extremes, in particular precipitation extremes. WMO also announced preliminary findings of the upcoming Decadal Global Climate Summary, showing that climate change accelerated in 2001-2010, which was the warmest decade ever recorded in all continents of the globe.
Michel Jarraud, WMO Secretary General, underlined that the 2011 annual assessment confirms that climate change is happening now because of human activities, and that “this is resulting in far-reaching and potential irreversible impacts on our Earth, atmosphere and oceans.” He said the 2011 annual assessment confirms the findings of previous WMO annual statements. [WMO Press Release] [Publication: WMO Statement on the Status of the Global Climate in 2011]