The year 2012 was hot! It was ranked among one of the top 10 warmest years on record, says Omar Baddour from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This, despite the cooling influence of La Niña early in the year.

He adds that extreme weather and climate events were also noted last year, such as Tropical Storm Sandy which hit the United States and the Caribbean, as well as Tropical Cyclone Bopha which caused thousands of deaths in the Philippines. Both extreme weather events caused major destruction and tens of billions of dollars in damage.

Mr. Baddour discusses these and other alarming climate and weather events with UN Radio’s Patrick Maigua in Geneva.

Duration: 4’19”