This year will be the hottest ever that wasn't affected by the El Nino weather event, according to the UN.
The prediction is a shock because El Nino has been used to explain rising temperatures and occasionally to suggest that the temperature isn't warming at all. The new finding shows that the climate is in fact warming rapidly, even without the effect of the El Nino which pushes up temperatures across the world.
Even accounting for that, this year will be one of the three warmest on record. Already, 2016 and 2015 were the hottest years yet.
Other indicators of rising temperatures include Arctic sea ice, which was well below average throughout 2017 and was at record low-levels for the first four months of the year, while sea ice cover in Antarctica also hit record lows.