NEW figures reveal that 2004 was the world’s fourth warmest year since records began in 1861.

The figures compiled by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia (UEA) reveal the global mean surface temperature in 2004 was 14C, which is 0.44C above the average reading for the years 1961 to 1990.

Scientists say greenhouse gases are the most likely cause of the rise. The evidence of escalating temperatures will be used by environmental groups to put pressure on the government to reduce carbon emissions.

Delegates yesterday reached an agreement at a United Nations conference on climate change on a future format to address global warming.

While 2004 may not have seemed a good year for weather in Britain, it was part of a trend in rising temperatures. Nine of the 10 warmest years on global records have been in the past decade. The hottest was 1998.

Phil Jones, of the climate research unit at UEA, said it was “truly remarkable” that so many of the warmest years were in the past decade.

This year heatwaves across southern Europe brought some of the highest temperatures ever recorded in Spain and Portugal. Most European countries, including Britain, had above-average temperatures.

Weather experts believe global warming is also linked to increased storm activity. There were four hurricanes in the Caribbean classified as category four or five (capable of causing extreme damage). It was only the fourth time that so many had been documented.

The central England temperature series, the longest-running monthly monitoring record in the world, showed temperatures 1.08C warmer than the average since records began in 1659.

Weather experts say it is likely to get even warmer. A Met Office computer model predicts 2005 will be the second-warmest year on record.

A report released last week by the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research warned that the record heatwave Europe sweltered in during the summer of 2003 might seem normal by 2060. The extreme heat caused more than 15,000 extra deaths last year.

The report estimated that man-made climate change had already doubled the risk of such heatwaves. Sir David King, the government’s chief scientific adviser, has warned that global warming poses a greater threat than international terrorism. In the worst-case scenario, sea levels could rise dramatically.

Despite the often apocalyptic warnings, there has been a lack of international consensus on how to tackle global warming. The Kyoto agreement takes effect in February, but is unlikely to have a significant impact. Although the treaty aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5%, experts believe cuts of more than 50% are needed to stop global warming.

At the UN climate change meeting, a compromise deal was reached yesterday in which it was agreed a seminar would be held in 2005, albeit with informal exchange of information rather than formal talks on replacing the agreement.

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