2023: Earth's Hottest Year on Record
Originally Published 2 years ago — by The Associated Press
Earth shattered global annual heat records in 2023, coming within a hair's breadth of the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit set in the 2015 Paris climate accord. The year was marked by extreme weather events, including deadly heat waves, devastating droughts, and destructive wildfires, with the impact of human-induced climate change being a significant factor. The European climate agency Copernicus reported that the Earth's average temperature for 2023 was 1.48 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, with January 2024 on track to exceed the 1.5-degree threshold. The agency emphasized the urgent need to keep the 1.5-degree goal alive to protect future generations, as the world faces the consequences of a feverish planet.