A damning climate change report has confirmed that 2023 was a year of new climate records.
The report, titled State of the Climate, shows that greenhouse gas concentrations were the highest on record last year, with carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide all reaching their highest measured atmospheric levels.
2023 was also the warmest year since records began back in the mid-1800s, surpassing the previous record set in 2016.
Meanwhile, the average global sea level in 2023 was the highest on record for the twelfth successive year.
Dr Robert Dunn, an Operational Meteorologist at the Met Office and one of the authors of the report, said: ‘2023 will linger long in the memory of the climate record.’
A damning climate change report has confirmed that 2023 was a year of new climate records. Pictured: wildfires in Greece on July 19, 2023
2023 was also the warmest year since records began back in the mid-1800s, surpassing the preivous record set in 2016
The report was co-ordinated by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, and is based on contributions from more than 590 scientists around the world.
It highlights six key climate change records that were smashed in 2023 – greenhouse gas concentrations, global temperature, sea-surface temperature, ocean heat, sea level, and Antarctic sea ice.
Greenhouse gas concentrations – including CO2, methane and nitrous oxide – were the highest on record, while the global average surface temperature reached 1.46°C above pre-industrial levels.
Individually, the last seven months of 2023 (June to December) were also the warmest on record.
In terms of sea-surface temperature, the average temperature was 0.13°C higher than the previous record, largely thanks to a series of marine heatwaves.
‘Overall, 94% of the global ocean surface experienced at least one marine heatwave,’ the report explained.
Greenhouse gas concentrations – including CO2, methane and nitrous oxide – were the highest on record, while the global average surface temperature reached 1.46°C above pre-industrial levels
Antarctic sea ice reached an all-time record low in 2023. Pictured: Marguerite Bay in October 2023
Ocean heat content – the measure of heat from the sea surface to a depth of two kilometres – was the highest on record, while the average global sea level in 2023 was the highest on record for the twelfth successive year.
Finally, Antarctic sea ice reached an all-time record low in 2023.
‘Heat from the tropical Pacific courtesy of a strong El Niño event imparted warmth to the planet’s atmosphere ensuring that 2023 was going to be a warm year,’ Dr Dunn explained.
‘We have had El Niño events before, but last year was notable as the El Niño coincided with other events, such as the North Atlantic marine heatwave and the all-time low for Antarctic sea ice extent.
The average global sea level in 2023 was the highest on record for the twelfth successive year
‘For 34 years, this annual report has been charting the progress of climate change through meticulous analysis of earth observations.
‘The increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases is fuelling ever-greater temperatures.
‘And in 2023 the impact of these warmer temperatures on other metrics of our climate system were clear, for example with over 1kg of extra atmospheric water vapour per square metre of the Earth’s surface compared to the long-term average, and yet also a record high area of land under extreme drought conditions.’
The report also found that plants around the world are responding to the warmer conditions.
In the Arashiyama district of Kyoto, Japan, the full bloom for cherry trees occurred on March 14 – the earliest date in over 1,200 years.
The researchers hope the findings will serve as a wake-up call for the urgent need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
‘Natural variation in the climate system – such as that driven by El Niño – will ensure a modest amount of year-to-year variability, but until we see greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere begin to decline, then further records are likely before the end of the decade,’ Dr Dunn added.
