The European Union Climate Service says 2023 is on track to become the hottest year on record

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – This year is on track to become the hottest on record, with the average global temperature so far this year 0.52 degrees Celsius above average, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Thursday.

Scientists said climate change, along with the appearance of the El Niño weather phenomenon this year, which is heating up surface waters in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, has pushed temperatures to record levels recently.

“The unprecedented temperatures for this time of year observed in September – after a record summer – broke records by an extraordinary amount. This extreme month has pushed 2023 to the dubious honors of first place – on track to be the warmest year by about 1.4 degrees Celsius. “The temperature exceeds average pre-industrial temperatures,” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus, said in a statement.

The institute added that the global temperature during the period from January to September is 1.4 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial average (from the years 1850 to 1900), as climate change pushes global temperatures to new records, and short-term weather patterns lead to Also to temperature movements.

Last month was the warmest September on record globally, 0.93°C warmer than the average temperature for the same month in the period 1991-2020. This month’s global temperature was the unseasonably warmest month on record in ERA5 dataset, dating back to 1940.

“Two months after the UN Climate Change Conference, the sense of urgency for ambitious climate action has never been more important,” Burgess said, referring to the UN Climate Change Conference.

Last year was not a record, although the world was 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer than in pre-industrial times. The previous record dates back to 2016 and 2020 when temperatures were an average of 1.25 degrees Celsius higher.

“What is particularly worrying is that the warm El Niño phenomenon is still developing, so we can expect these record temperatures to continue for many months, with cascading impacts on our environment and society,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. In reference to the climate phenomenon that drives extreme heat.

The average sea surface temperature for September, above 60°S to 60°N, reached 20.92°C, the highest level on record for September and the second highest ever of all months, after August 2023, Copernicus said.

The body’s analysis relies on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, planes and meteorological stations.

Antarctic sea ice extent remains at a record low for this time of year, while Arctic sea ice extent is 18% below average.

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