Last year was the hottest year on record, the latest data confirmed, and scientists warn that 2024 could be even worse.
The European Union (EU) Copernicus climate change service confirmed yesterday that 2023 was the hottest year since 1850, confirming predictions made before the year was over given the exceptionally high temperatures on record.
The global average surface air temperature in 2023 was 14.98C – beating the previous record set in 2016 by a ”large margin” of 0.17C.
Copernicus found that 2023 was on average 1.48C warmer than pre-industrial levels, when humans began burning fossil fuels on a large scale.
Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus, called it “a dramatic testimony to how far we are now from the climate in which our civilization developed”.
But Met Office scientists believe this record could be broken again very soon, and their forecasts suggest 2024 could be even hotter, bringing more extreme weather like last year.
Copernicus said it was “likely” the 12-month period ending in January or February this year would exceed 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Last year’s broken record is a sign that the world is edging closer to 1.5C of warming – the level countries have agreed to aim for under the Paris Agreement, the point after which it becomes increasingly difficult to adapt to climate impacts.
‘Good news’, solutions and warning
Professor John Marsham, an expert in atmospheric science at the University of Leeds, said:
”We need to reduce fossil fuel use desperately fast and reach net zero to preserve the livable climate we all depend on. The good news is not just that the public supports greater climate action, but that it is often a win-win, e.g. renewable energy sources in the United Kingdom (UK) are cheap and improve energy security.”
