January 10, 2024
NEW DELHI – Unprecedented global temperatures from June onwards led 2023 to become the warmest year on record, overtaking 2016, by a clear margin of 0.17°C, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Tuesday.
According to the C3S report, last year was 0.60°C warmer than the 1991-2020 average and 1.48°C warmer than the 1850-1900 pre-industrial level before humans started using fossil fuel on a large and commercial scale.
The temperature on each day in 2023 exceeded 1°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial level and close to six months were over 1.5°C warmer than the 1850-1900 level. Two days in November were more than 2°C warmer.
“2023 was an exceptional year with climate records tumbling like dominoes. Not only is 2023 the warmest year on record, it is also the first year with all days over 1°C warmer than the pre-industrial period. Temperatures during 2023 likely exceeded those of any period in at least the last 100,000 years,” Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director, Copernicus Climate Change Service said.
The month of December, the scientist said, was the warmest December globally, with an average temperature of 13.51°C, 0.85°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.78°C above the 1850-1900 level for the month.
‘Need to decarbonise our economy’
Commenting on the report, Carlo Buontempo, Director, Copernicus Climate Change Service stressed on the need to decarbonise economies and prepare for the future.
“The extremes we have observed over the last few months provide a dramatic testimony of how far we are now from the climate in which our civilisation developed. This has profound consequences for the Paris Agreement and all human endeavours. If we want to successfully manage our climate risk portfolio, we need to urgently decarbonise our economy whilst using climate data and knowledge to prepare for the future,” he added.