Record-breaking Temperature in 2023 Amid Climate Change That Is Increasing

According to preliminary climate data, 2023 was the warmest year on record worldwide since the start of instrumental records in 1850. This validates scientific alerts that indicate climate change is still accelerating and getting worse every year.

New Heat Milestones for the Year

2023 will surpass 2016 as the warmest year on record, with average global temperatures rising 1.48°C over pre-industrial levels between 1850 and 1900, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Other concerning firsts for the year included over half of the temperature rising above 1.5°C, as set by the Paris Agreement, and every day exceeding the 1°C warming barrier above the mid-19th century.

Growing Risks

In 2023, the world saw more natural calamities than ever before, such as extreme heat waves, a global drought, and wildfires that burned 26 million hectares during Canada's most devastating season.

In the meantime, the primary cause of the observed warming last year was the record-breaking atmospheric quantities of greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane.

Why Is It So Hot?

Although the first El Niño event in seven years began in the middle of 2023, contributing to some of the excessive heat, scientists stress that the primary cause is still the accumulation of pollution from burning fossil fuels by humans.

Due to the rapid increase in radiative forcing caused by increased greenhouse gas concentrations, which traps more solar energy, the last eight years are the hottest on record for modern times. The trend of rising temperatures will not stop until net world emissions are zero.

Prospective Course

With El Niño continuing, some climate scientists predict that 2024 may even surpass 2023's worrying new heat records, raising the possibility of breaking significant global landmarks.

Within the next five years, there is now a two-thirds likelihood that the yearly average global temperature will rise above the 1.5°C Paris agreement, resulting in significantly worsening climate change effects.

Reversing the current direction and implementing massive emissions reduction are still necessary to prevent this. However, when the temperatures on land, in the sea, and in the sky continue to rise, there is less and less hope. The record dry season of 2023 is now marked as the most recent warning sign of unprecedented atmospheric change in human history.