2015 world temperatures 'to hit 1C above pre-industrial levels'

Global mean surface temperatures this year are set to reach one degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time, Britain's Met Office said Monday.

Data from January to September showed global mean temperature at 1.02C above 1850-1900 levels," the national weather service said.

The data has a 0.11C margin of error.

"This represents an important marker as the world continues to warm due to human influence," the Met Office said.

Stephen Belcher, director of the Met Office Hadley Centre, said: "We have seen a strong El Nino develop in the tropical Pacific this year and that will have had some impact on this year's global temperature.

"We've had similar natural events in the past, yet this is the first time we're set to reach the 1C marker and it's clear that it is human influence driving our modern climate into uncharted territory."

© 2015 AFP