(Reuters) – The year 2023 will become the hottest on record after record temperatures were again reported in November, researchers at Europe’s Copernicus climate change observatory said on Wednesday, adding further pressure on countries gathered to COP28.
The month of November actually showed a global average surface air temperature of 14.22oC, or 0.85oC more than the 1991-2020 average for the same month, and 0.32oC more per year. compared to the same period in 2020.
Over January-November the temperature was 1.46oC higher than the 1850-1900 average and 0.13oC higher than the average for the same period in 2016, so far the hottest year on record, according to Copernicus .
The data comes as governments hold long-running negotiations at the COP28 summit over a possible phase-out of the use of fossil fuels responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.
This year “has now seen six record-breaking months and two record-breaking seasons. November’s extraordinary global temperatures, including two days more than 2ºC warmer than pre-industrial times, mean 2023 is the hottest year ever “history,” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), said in a statement.
The boreal autumn, from September to November, was also the warmest on record globally, with an average temperature of 15.30oC, 0.88oC above average, EU scientists said .
“As long as greenhouse gas concentrations continue to increase, we cannot expect results different from those observed this year,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S.
“Temperature will continue to rise, as will the effects of heatwaves and droughts. Achieving carbon neutrality as soon as possible is an effective way to manage our climate risks,” he added.
Countries are still far from reaching the goal set by the Paris Agreement in 2015, namely to keep the increase in global temperature below 2oC compared to pre-industrial levels.
The EU has passed laws to meet its target of reducing net emissions by 55% in 2030 compared to 1990 levels, which analysts say is the minimum needed to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
(Report by Diana Mandiá, French version by Stéphanie Hamel, edited by Kate Entringer)
©2023 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.