Human-caused climate change and the natural El Niño weather phenomena have made 2023 the warmest year on record. The EU’s climate office reports that last year was roughly 1.48 degrees Celsius warmer than the long-term average before humans began using huge amounts of fossil fuels.
Since July, almost every day has seen a new global air temperature high for the season, according to BBC data. Sea surface temperatures have also surpassed historical highs.
The University of Reading’s climate specialists have responded to the news.
During the first few months of the year, only a few days broke air temperature records. However, in the second half of 2023, the world experienced a stunning, nearly unbroken sequence of daily records.
The current temperature increase is primarily due to the quick transition to El Niño conditions, which has occurred with long-term human-caused warming. El Niño is a natural phenomenon in which warm surface waters in the East Pacific Ocean release heat into the atmosphere.
We must respond to climate change by cutting carbon emissions and shifting to renewable energy sources. Although it is true that combating global climate change requires the assistance of higher-ups, we as individuals must accept responsibility and make intentional efforts to limit our carbon footprint.
