A new study has found that the average global temperature in 2023 was 1.45 degrees Celsius (2.61 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, making it the warmest year on record. The study, published in the journal Nature, also found that the last nine years have been the warmest on record.
The findings are based on an analysis of temperature data from a variety of sources, including weather stations, satellites, and ocean buoys. The researchers found that the warming trend is accelerating, and that the world is on track to exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius warming limit set by the Paris Agreement by 2030.
“The evidence is clear: the world is warming at an unprecedented rate,” said Dr. Sarah Jones, lead author of the study. “We are already seeing the impacts of climate change, and they are only going to get worse if we do not take action.”
The study’s findings come as world leaders are meeting at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to discuss ways to address climate change. The summit is expected to focus on ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The world has already warmed by about 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since the pre-industrial era, and the impacts of this warming are already being felt. These include more frequent and intense heatwaves, droughts, floods, and wildfires.
Scientists say that urgent action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This will require a rapid transition to renewable energy sources, as well as significant investments in energy efficiency and carbon capture technologies.