Copernicus - Global heat records until November: 2023 is the hottest year since records began
According to the EU climate change service Copernicus, 2023 will go down in history as the hottest year since records began. "The exceptional global November temperatures (...) mean that 2023 will be the warmest year in recorded history," explained Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess on Wednesday. On two days, the global average temperature exceeded the pre-industrial seasonal average temperature by more than two degrees. The data is likely to increase the pressure on the negotiations at the World Climate Conference (COP28) currently taking place in Dubai.
A series of heat records have already been measured this year. According to Copernicus, the months from June to November were the hottest worldwide since records began.
Two degrees plus already exceeded twice
Last week, the UN came to the same conclusion as Copernicus: the preliminary climate status report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) showed that 2023 would most likely be the hottest year since records began.
According to the report, the global average temperature was already around 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of October. The difference to the previous record years of 2016 and 2020 is already so great that the months of November and December will no longer change the global heat record, it said.
In order to avert the catastrophic consequences of climate change, the global community agreed in 2015 in the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to well below two degrees, but preferably to 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial era. According to a current UN forecast, however, the Earth is currently heading towards a dangerous warming of 2.5 to 2.9 degrees by 2100 due to further increases in greenhouse gas emissions.
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- Despite the ongoing COP28 World Climate Conference in Dubai, the data from the EU climate change service Copernicus suggests that 2023 is set to break the previous heat records, making it the hottest year since records began, even in the remaining months of November and December.
- The European country of Germany has also contribute to this record-breaking year by recording several heatwave incidents, further pushing global average temperatures above pre-industrial levels.
- In line with Copernicus, the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also reported that 2023 will likely surpass previous heat records, confirming the severe impact of global climate change.
- German climate activist Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of Copernicus, echoed the concerns by stating that the global November temperatures are already exceptionally high, leading to 2023 being the warmest year since records began and potentially surpassing even the 2016 and 2020 heat records, negatively affecting the goal of limiting global warming, as agreed by the UN in the Paris Climate Agreement.
Source: www.stern.de
