By In the summer of 2023, our planet experienced its hottest season ever recorded. During June, July, and August—the peak of the northern hemisphere’s summer—the global average temperature soared to 16.77 degrees Celsius. This was 0.66 degrees Celsius higher than the average between 1991 and 2020. To put it into perspective, this new high was 0.29 degrees Celsius above the previous record set in 2019, a significant jump in the context of climate measurements.
Data gathered by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) revealed that August, in particular, stood out as it was approximately 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the preindustrial average dating back to 1850 to 1900. It’s important to note that the global goal to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius, as agreed upon by nations worldwide, would only be considered breached if this temperature is consistently sustained over months and years.
Remarkably, even regions in the southern hemisphere, which were experiencing winter during this period, could not escape the heat. Above-average temperatures were observed in places like Australia, several South American countries, and much of Antarctica.
Climate experts are sounding a grave alarm. Dr Friederike Otto, a senior climate science lecturer at Imperial College London, noted that breaking heat records has become distressingly commonplace in 2023, with July earning the unfortunate title of the hottest month ever recorded.
The consequences of this extreme heat have been devastating, with heatwaves, wildfires, and floods wreaking havoc on lives and livelihoods across the globe, affecting regions from North and South America to Europe, India, Japan, and China.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the severity of the situation, stating, “Our planet has just endured a season of simmering—the hottest summer on record. Climate breakdown has begun. Scientists have long warned about the consequences of our addiction to fossil fuels, and now we are witnessing the implosion of our climate, with extreme weather events occurring across the world.”
Experts anticipate that the findings will paint a bleak picture, indicating that the world is significantly off course in its efforts to limit global warming to the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Instead, we appear to be heading toward approximately 2.5 degrees Celsius of global heating. This trajectory is deeply troubling given the increased frequency of extreme weather events we’ve witnessed with just a 1.2-degree Celsius increase in temperature to date.
Despite the sobering outlook, there is still hope to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, and there is no time to waste in taking action.
