Extreme weather and climate conditions, including Arctic heatwaves, are continuing this year, after 2016 topped the global temperature charts and saw shrinking sea ice and surging sea levels.The World Meteorological Organization warned that the drastic shifts seen in the global climate system that resulted in a range of alarming records last year appear to be<br/>continuing unabated. David Carlson, head of the World Climate Research Programme from the WMO said that even without a strong El Nino, a phenomenon that brings generally warmer temperatures every four to five years and that 2017 was seeing other remarkable changes across the planet that are challenging the understanding of the climate system.<br/><br/>The WMO said that last year, global average temperatures were about 1.1 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial period, and about 0.06 degrees Celsius above the previous record set in 2015. 'Globally, average sea surface temperatures were also the highest on record last year; sea levels continued to rise. The Arctic sea ice levels were far below average, it found, warning that greenhouse gas emissions were the main driver behind the warming trend.