Scientists have confirmed that 2023 is the hottest year on record, bringing the planet dangerously close to surpassing the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), 2023 marked the warmest calendar year in global temperature records dating back to 1850, with an average temperature of 14.98 degrees Celsius—nearly 0.2 degrees higher than the previous record set in 2016.
The climate crisis, primarily driven by fossil fuel combustion, has significantly contributed to the extreme heat observed.
Two days in November surpassed 2°C, highlighting the urgent need for climate action.C3S noted that 2023 was unprecedented, with every day exceeding 1 degree Celsius above the preindustrial average from 1850 to 1900, and almost half of the days surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius. Remarkably, two days in November even exceeded 2 degrees Celsius for the first time.
Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, described 2023 as an “exceptional year” where climate records fell rapidly. This confirmation follows repeated warnings that the world is on the brink of breaching the goals set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The accord aims to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, with an aspiration to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, urging countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold is critical, as exceeding it could lead to increasingly severe impacts on both people and the planet.
The world has already warmed by about 1.1 degrees Celsius due to over a century of fossil fuel use, coupled with unsustainable energy and land practices, driving a surge in extreme weather events globally.