Global warming likely to breach 1.5C threshold for first time

Pistachio trees are seen in a field affected by a prolonged drought in Ronda, southern Spain [Jon Nazca/Reuters]

It is near certain that the next five years will be the warmest period ever recorded, the United Nations has warned, as greenhouse gases and El Nino combine to send temperatures soaring.

For the first time, global temperatures are now more likely than not to breach 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming until 2027, the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday.