2023 is predicted to be the hottest year ever after six months of record-breaking temperatures. However, there is little indication that the use of fossil fuels will end as influential people gather in Dubai for the UN climate conference.
Six months in a row, the Earth has broken heat records, positioning the globe for its hottest year since records have been kept in the middle of the 19th century.
The fall of that year was also the warmest on record in the Northern Hemisphere.
These are the conclusions of the Corpernicus Climate Change Service of the European Union, which were made public on Wednesday. The US climate office NOAA stated last month that there was a 99% chance that 2023 would be the warmest year since 1850.
The warmest year on record was previously 2016, but a string of unwanted temperature records, including one in November, have moved 2023 to the top of the list.
“Academics are lacking sufficient adjectives.”
“The past six months have been incredibly upsetting,” stated Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of Copernicus.
“As of right now, 2023 has two record-breaking seasons and six record-breaking months. 2023 will go down in history as the warmest year due to the exceptional November temperatures around the world, which included two days where the temperature exceeded 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.”
“Scientists are running out of adjectives to describe this,” she stated.
In what degree was 2023 hot?
The average temperature in November was 14.22 C, 0.85 C higher than the norm for the previous 30 years, according to the Copernicus data.
Overall, 2023 has warmed up by 1.46 C over pre-industrial levels on average for the year, which puts it extremely close to the 1.5 C global threshold established by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, which stated that the figure should be reached by 2030.
However, there are no signs of a shift in course even as diplomats, scientists, activists, and other international personalities gather in Dubai for the ongoing COP28 climate meeting.
COP28: Is a settlement possible?
A crucial negotiating text was leaked on Tuesday, exposing the challenges of bringing various nations to the same agreement. The plan proposes phasing out the use of fossil fuels, a move that major gas and oil producers like Saudi Arabia and Russia are opposed to.
The chairman of the UAE’s state oil business, Sultan al-Jaber, is hosting the summit. In a November video conference with UN representatives, he allegedly stated that “no science” could support the idea that eliminating fossil fuels is required to control global warming.
Carlo Buontempo, Director of Copernicus, stated, “We can’t expect different outcomes from those seen this year as long as greenhouse gas concentrations keep rising.”
“Both the temperature and the effects of heat waves and droughts will continue to rise. An efficient strategy to reduce our exposure to climate risk is to achieve net-zero as soon as practicable.”
“Unless we do something about our dependence on fossil fuels,” deputy director Burgess continued, 2023 will be remembered as a “cool year” in the future.
