2023 set to be hottest year on record, United Nations says

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), global warming is projected to reach approximately 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels by the end of this month, further contributing to the already a lots of climate records being broken.

The WMO’s preliminary State of the Global Climate report confirms that 2023 will surpass the previous record holder, 2016, by a significant margin, making it the hottest year on record. 

This alarming information adds to the sense of urgency faced by world leaders as they struggle with the challenge of transitioning away from fossil fuels at the United Nations climate summit COP28, which commenced in Dubai on Thursday. WMO Secretary General Peterri Taalas emphasized that greenhouse gas levels, global temperatures, sea level rise, and Antarctic sea ice are all at record extremes. 

However, the report's findings do not indicate an immediate crossing of the long-term warming threshold of 1.5C that scientists have deemed necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

To reach that threshold, sustained warming would need to occur for a longer period of time.

Nevertheless, the year of 1.4C that has already occurred has offered a frightening glimpse into what surpassing 1.5C permanently could entail.

This year, Antarctic sea ice experienced its lowest winter maximum extent ever recorded, with a decrease of approximately 386,000 square miles compared to the previous record. Swiss glaciers have also lost around 10% of their remaining volume within the last two years, as stated in the report. Additionally, wildfires in Canada burned a record-breaking area, equivalent to approximately 5% of the country's woodlands.

The combination of climate change, primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels, and the presence of the natural El Niño climate pattern in the Eastern Pacific has pushed the world into record-breaking territory this year. 

The scientists said that next year (2024) could be worse because El Niño’s impacts are expected to peak this winter and drive more higher temperatures in 2024.