In a shocking revelation, the European climate agency Copernicus announced that Earth had shattered global annual heat records in 2023. The year was a staggering 1.48 degrees Celsius (2.66 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, just below the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit set in the 2015 Paris climate accord. This alarming news comes as January 2024 is predicted to be so warm that it will mark the first time a 12-month period exceeds the 1.5-degree threshold.

According to Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess, scientists have repeatedly warned that Earth would need to average 1.5 degrees of warming over two or three decades to breach the threshold. The urgency to keep the 1.5-degree goal alive is driven by the fact that it directly impacts the lives of future generations. Burgess emphasized, "These choices don't impact you and I but they impact our children and our grandchildren."

The consequences of this record-breaking heat were felt worldwide, with Europe, North America, China, and many other regions experiencing extreme weather events. Scientists attribute these events to a warming climate, including a devastating drought in the Horn of Africa, destructive downpours in Libya, and the Canada wildfires that affected air quality across continents.

While nations at the annual United Nations climate talks in December acknowledged the need to transition away from fossil fuels, no concrete requirements were set. Copernicus' calculations revealed that the global average temperature for 2023 surpassed the previous record set in 2016 by about one-sixth of a degree Celsius (0.3 degrees Fahrenheit). Burgess highlighted that this margin is exceptionally large for a new record, emphasizing that it was "exceptional for over half the year."

The primary factor contributing to the record-breaking warmth in 2023 was the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess explained that these gases result from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. Other contributing factors included the natural El Nino event, oscillations in the Arctic, southern and Indian oceans, increased solar activity, and an undersea volcano eruption in 2022 that released water vapor into the atmosphere.

Malte Meinshausen, a climate scientist at the University of Melbourne, estimated that greenhouse gases accounted for approximately 1.3 degrees Celsius of the warming, with an additional 0.1 degrees Celsius attributed to El Nino and other factors. Given the presence of El Nino and record ocean heat levels, Burgess expressed concerns that 2024 could be even hotter than 2023.

While Copernicus' records only date back to 1940, other groups such as NASA, the United Kingdom's Meteorological Office, and Berkeley Earth have data dating back to the mid-1800s. These organizations are expected to announce their calculations for 2023 shortly, with predictions of additional record-breaking marks.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency, which employs similar techniques to Copernicus, estimated that 2023 was the warmest year, with a temperature increase of 1.47 degrees Celsius (2.64 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The University of Alabama Huntsville global dataset, which relies on satellite measurements, also confirmed it as the hottest year on record, albeit by a slightly smaller margin.

Despite the relatively short duration of climate observations, evidence from tree rings and ice cores suggests that this is the warmest the Earth has been in over 100,000 years. Woodwell Climate Research Center climate scientist Jennifer Francis stated that "2023 was probably the hottest year on Earth in about 125,000 years." She added that while humans were present before this period, it is fair to say that it is the hottest since humans became civilized.

The unprecedented heat was not limited to a few months but extended throughout the year. Copernicus recorded two days in 2023 where the global average temperature exceeded 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, narrowly missing a third day around Christmas. Additionally, every day of the year was at least one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial times. For a staggering 173 days, the world experienced temperatures 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the mid-1800s.

Amidst these alarming statistics, Australian climate scientist Malte Meinshausen acknowledged the public's concerns about the 1.5-degree target. However, he emphasized that it is crucial to continue striving for this goal to mitigate the severe consequences of climate change. The urgency to act is evident as the Earth faces the hottest years on record, threatening the well-being of current and future generations.