2023 Breaks Record for World’s Hottest Year

Scientists claim 2023 "smashed" the record for the hottest year by a large margin, offering a "dramatic testimony" of how much warmer today's climate is compared to pre-industrial levels.

Experts stated that the Earth's life support system in 2023 was so damaged that the planet is now "well outside the safe operating space for humanity."

Hottest global average temperature

• In 2023, the planet had a global average temperature 1.48C hotter than pre-industrial levels, before the world started burning mass levels of fossil fuels and releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
• Climate data shows that this was the first year on record where every day was at least 1C warmer than 1850-1900 levels, and almost half of the days were 1.5C hotter. The average temperature was .17C hotter last year than in 2016, which held the previous record for hottest year.

Broken records

• In 2023, Earth experienced the hottest days ever recorded in modern history. The high temperatures caused intense heatwaves, floods, wildfires, and other natural events worldwide.
• July was the hottest month since record-keeping began and most likely the hottest month in over 120,000 years, according to climate experts.
• Ocean temperatures were also at record highs, and in mid-May, they reached unprecedented levels for that time of year.
• One report has found that heat waves in the U.S. and Europe would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change.
• September was the most anomalously hot month on record, meaning its deviation from the average was higher than any previous month. Temperatures were almost a full degree hotter than Sept. 2020, which had the previous record. 

Scientists' concern

• Scientists are concerned by how close the globe is getting to the 1.5C threshold set as a maximum warming level during the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
• The scientists of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Services (CCCS) said the globe will likely pass the 1.5C mark in the next 12 months.
• Samantha Burgess, CCCS deputy director, said:

"2023 was an exceptional year, with climate records tumbling like dominoes. Temperatures during 2023 likely exceeded those of any period in at least the last 100,000 years."

• CCCS director, Carlo Buontempo, said: 

"The extremes we have observed over the last few months provide a dramatic testimony of how far we now are from the climate in which our civilization developed. This has profound consequences for the Paris agreement and all human endeavors. If we want to successfully manage our climate risks, we need to urgently decarbonise our economy whilst using climate data and knowledge to prepare for the future."

• Professor Brian Hoskins at Imperial College London said these temperatures should "shake the complacency displayed in the actions by most governments around the world."

What can you do?

• 350.org is fighting for a safe climate, a prosperous future, and a world beyond fossil fuels. Get involved in their fight for justice, and give back to the Earth.
• With just a few minutes of your time, you can help the climate movement by adding your name to 350.org's petition to urge government leaders to hold oil corporations accountable. 
• If you're looking for more in-depth action, join a local group near you. Check the map here. Or, contribute to the non-profit's mission with a donation here.

2024 is an election year, making this the time to take action and let your representatives know what's important to you.

Will climate change impact your vote this year? Let us know.

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: iStock/janiecbros)