CLICK TO ENLARGE. Daily global temperature anomaly. C3S / ECMWF
November was the sixth month in a row of record-warm weather, according to a new analysis that finds 2023 will almost inevitably end as the hottest year ever recorded.
Last month measured on average 1.75 degrees C (3.15 degrees F) warmer than the preindustrial era, according to an analysis from the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service. And two days last month were more than 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) warmer, marking the first time daily warming breached the 2-degree threshold, scientists said. The hottest November on record comes on the heels of the hottest October, September, August, July, and June.
“The extraordinary global November temperatures, including two days warmer than 2 degrees C above preindustrial, mean that 2023 is the warmest year in recorded history,” said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, in a statement.
The last hottest year on record, 2016, measured 1.25 degrees C (2.25 degrees F) warmer than the preindustrial era. So far, this year is 1.46 degrees C (2.63 degrees F) hotter, a reflection of both intensifying climate change and a strong El Niño that are, together, pushing warming to a new extreme. The Paris Agreement aims to keep the long-term level of warming to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F).
“As long as greenhouse gas concentrations keep rising, we can’t expect different outcomes from those seen this year. The temperature will keep rising and so will the impacts of heat waves and droughts,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. “Reaching net zero as soon as possible is an effective way to manage our climate risks.”
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