New Delhi: We are exactly a month away from bidding another year goodbye.
According to World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2023 is set to be the warmest year on record.
The Provisional State of the Global Climate in 2023 report says that data until the end of October shows this year was about 1.40 degrees Celsius (with a margin of uncertainty of ±0.12°C) above the pre-industrial 1850-1900 baseline.
This data makes it virtually certain that 2023 will surpass previous years, like 2016 and 2020, to become the hottest in the 174-year observational record. The current year will surpass previous temperatures of 1.29 (± 0.12) °C and 1.27 (±0.13) °C above the 1850–1900 average.
“2023 has shattered climate records, accompanied by extreme weather which has left a trail of devastation and despair,” WMO stated.
The previous nine years (2015 to 2023) were the warmest on record. The El Niño event, which emerged during Northern Hemisphere spring of 2023 and developed rapidly during summer, is likely to further fuel the heat next year because El Niño has the greatest impact on global temperatures after it peaks.
Global sea levels this year rose to a record high since satellite tracking started in 1993. It reflects ongoing ocean warming and accelerated melting of ice sheets and glaciers.
“Greenhouse gas levels are record high. Global temperatures are record-high. Sea level rise is record high. Antarctic sea ice is record low. It’s a deafening cacophony of broken records,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.
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