Record-breaking Heat: 2023 and 2024 Set to Be Hottest Years in History

The World Meteorological Organization announced at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai that 2023 is "virtually certain" to be the hottest year in recorded history, with temperatures about 1.4 degrees Celsius above the global average preindustrial temperature. The past nine years have been the warmest on record, with record greenhouse gas concentrations, sea levels, and methane concentrations. Scientists hope to emphasize the urgency of climate change and the need for ambitious action by world leaders at the summit. The report highlights the devastating impacts of extreme heat, including deaths, economic losses, and displacement, as well as the damage to nature, particularly coral reefs.