This year is set to be the hottest on record, after November was the warmed ever, following previous anomalous highs this year.
Recordings from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) – which monitors global surface air and sea temperatures, sea ice cover and hydrological variables – found that from January to November this year, the global mean temperature for 2023 is the highest on record, 1.46°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average, and 0.13°C higher than the 11-month average for 2016, which is currently the warmest year on record.
C3S also reported that November 2023 was the warmest November on record globally, with an average surface air temperature of 14.22°C, 0.85°C above the 1991-2020 average for November and 0.32°C above the temperature of the previous warmest November, in 2020. In addition, the global temperature anomaly for November 2023 was on a par with October 2023, and only lower than the September 2023 anomaly of 0.93°C.
The average temperature in Europe between September–November 2023 was 10.96°C, which is 1.43°C above average. This made the boreal autumn 2023 the second warmest on record, just 0.03°C cooler than autumn 2020.
Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the C3S noted that 2023 has now had six record breaking months and two record breaking seasons. “The extraordinary global November temperatures, including two days warmer than 2ºC above preindustrial, mean that 2023 is the warmest year in recorded history.”
C3S director, Carlo Buontempo added a sober warning: “As long as greenhouse gas concentrations keep rising we can’t expect different outcomes from those seen this year,” he said. “The temperature will keep rising and so will the impacts of heatwaves and droughts. Reaching net zero as soon as possible is an effective way to manage our climate risks.”
This news comes as the COP28 meeting of world leaders nears its conclusion, with hopes for a deal to be signed to commit 200 nations to reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate the effects of climate change.
