2023 Warmest On Record, Temperature Rise Nears 1.5 Celsius Threshold: Report

Last year was the warmest year on record with the average global temperature rise compared to pre-industrial levels nearing the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold, according to a European climate agency.

Scientists at Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said that a 12-month period ending in January or February 2024 may exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius limit, exacerbating climate impacts.

However, this does not imply a permanent breach of the 1.5-degree Celsius limit specified in the Paris Agreement as it refers to long-term warming over many years.

The scientists noted that 2023 marked the first time on record when the average global temperature was 1 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) level every day.

Close to 50% of days were more than 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1850-1900 level and for the first time, two days in November were more than 2 degrees Celsius warmer.

According to C3S, 2023 had a global average temperature of 14.98 degrees Celsius, which was 0.17 degrees Celsius higher than the previous highest annual value in 2016.

It was 0.60 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1991-2020 average and 1.48 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1850-1900 pre-industrial level.

The scientists highlighted that each month from June to December in 2023 was warmer than the corresponding month in any previous year.

In September 2023, the temperature deviation above the 1991-“2020 average was larger than in any other month (0.93 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 average), the European climate agency reported.

October, November and December, each with a temperature of 0.85 degrees Celsius above average, were ranked as joint second-largest in terms of temperature deviation above the 1991-“2020 average.

C3S attributed the unusually warmer 2023 to record concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane (419 parts per million and 1902 parts per billion respectively).

The agency also noted that the ongoing El Nino event strengthened and contributed to the warmth of 2023, although it wasn't as strong as the events experienced in 2015 and 1997.