2023 the warmest year on record, at cusp of 1.5°Clevel

2023 was the warmest year ever, overtaking the last record set in 2016 by a large margin, Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Tuesday citing an analysis of global temperature data records since 1850.

The year was 0.60°C warmer than the 1991-2020 average, and 1.48°C warmer than the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average, barely below the 1.5°C limit the world is hoping to stay within in the 2015 Paris Climate Accord to avoid the most severe effects of the crisis.

"2023 was an exceptional year with climate records tumbling like dominoes. Temperatures during 2023 likely exceed those of any period in at least the last 100,000 years," said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), in a statement.

The year was 0.17°C warmer than the last warmest year 2016an El Nino year like 2023.

2023 surpasses records

But, there were several other records that the temperature anomaly either set or smashed, including every day being at least I'C warmer than the pre-industrial period. "Not only is 2023 the warmest year on record, it is also the first year with all days over 1 degree C warmer than the pre-industrial period," Burgess said.

It is also likely that a 12-month period ending in January or February 2024 will exceed 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level, she said.

While global temperature has been rising for the past few decades, the rise has not been steady.