According to the EU's Copernicus climate and weather monitoring service, in 2023, average temperatures exceeded pre-industrial levels by 1.52°C.
Although it is important for scientists to record long-term temperature increases, the 2023 data shows a rapid approach to the Paris Agreement limits, CNN reports.
The Paris Agreement, which most countries signed in 2015, aims to keep global warming below 2°C, with a desired limit of 1.5°C.
According to Copernicus, the last eight consecutive months have been the hottest on record, and 2023 is on track to be the hottest calendar year on record. In addition, January 2024 was the hottest month on record, as the average temperature was 1.66°C higher than in the pre-industrial period.
Matt Patterson, a PhD student in atmospheric physics at the University of Oxford, emphasized that the record is an "important milestone" but it does not mean that the Paris Agreement has failed.
"Exceeding 1.5°C in one year highlights that the time left for humanity to make deep emissions cuts and avoid dangerous climate change is rapidly shrinking," he explained.
Copernicus emphasized that the only way to stop the rise in global temperatures is to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The article explains that the climate crisis is caused primarily by people burning coal, oil, and gas for energy. It is currently being exacerbated by the El Niño oceanic climate phenomenon.
It is noted that this combination has devastating consequences. For example, in Chile, 160 forest fires in early February killed more than 120 people. They became the deadliest fires in the country's recent history. In addition, climate change has intensified California storms.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that a study of archival documents and articles in the United States has shown that the oil and gas industry has been informed about the potentially dire consequences of fossil fuel combustion for the climate since 1954.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, the European Commission has unveiled ambitious climate targets for 2040, which provide for a 90% reduction in emissions.
