Past eight years eight hottest on record, UN report warns

Much of Europe battled intense heatwaves and forest fires during the summer months [File: Stephane Mahe/Reuters]

The past eight years are on track to be the hottest ever recorded, a United Nations report has found, as UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that the planet was sending “a distress signal”.

The UN’s weather and climate body released its annual state of the global climate report on Sunday with another warning that the target to limit temperature increases to 1.5C (2.7F) was “barely within reach”.