Earth simply had its hottest summer time in recorded historical past, information launched Wednesday (Sept. 6) by the World Meteorological Group (WMO) reveals.
June to August 2023 had been the most well liked months ever and are one more signal that local weather change is occurring.
International sea floor temperatures broke new information every consecutive month, whereas Antarctic sea ice extent remained at a file low for the present time of 12 months.
“Our planet has simply endured a season of simmering — the most well liked summer time on file,” U.N. secretary-general António Guterres mentioned in a assertion. “Local weather breakdown has begun.”
The summer time was characterised by relentless warmth waves world wide. In July, quite a few international locations — together with the U.S., Mexico, Spain and China — skilled nationwide warmth information, with over 200 heat-related deaths reported in Mexico alone.
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International sea-surface temperatures have been particularly excessive over the previous 5 months and remained at record-high ranges all through April, Could, June and July 2023. In August 2023, the sea-surface temperature was 69.76 levels Fahrenheit (20.98 levels Celsius), surpassing the earlier March 2016 warmth file each single day that month.
“What we’re observing, not solely new extremes however the persistence of those record-breaking circumstances and the impacts these have on each individuals and planet, are a transparent consequence of the warming of the local weather system,” Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Local weather Change Service, mentioned within the assertion.
In line with the WMO information, August this 12 months was the most well liked on file “by a big margin” and the most well liked month ever after July 2023. The month’s mixed land and ocean floor temperature was 2.7 F (1.5 C) increased than the 1850 to 1900 common.
“Scientists have lengthy warned what our fossil gas habit will unleash,” Guterres mentioned. “Surging temperatures demand a surge in motion. Leaders should flip up the warmth now for local weather options. We will nonetheless keep away from the worst of local weather chaos – and we don’t have a second to lose.”
However within the brief time period, circumstances might worsen as El Niño takes form.
“It’s price noting that that is taking place earlier than we see the total warming impression of the El Niño occasion,” WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas mentioned in assertion.
El Niño is a climate sample by which a belt of heat water sits off the Pacific coast of South America, which frequently results in hotter world temperatures and excessive climate occasions. Heatwaves, fires and floods are prone to enhance as El Niño circumstances develop within the tropical Pacific for the primary time in seven years. In line with the WMO, there may be a 90% likelihood that the ocean-warming occasion will proceed all through the second half of 2023.