The New York Times's Raymond Zhong and Keith Collins is reporting on how 2023 was the hottest year in 150 years.
2023 set a new record as Earth's warmest year in over a century, with average global temperatures 1.48 degrees Celsius higher than in the late 19th century. This surpasses the previous record set in 2016. Every month of the year broke temperature records, from June through December. Climate scientists attribute this unprecedented warming to greenhouse gas emissions, but are now investigating whether this trend indicates an acceleration in global warming. The year's extreme heat affected various regions worldwide, with significant wildfires, reduced sea ice around Antarctica, and other climate impacts. Upcoming releases from NASA, NOAA, and Berkeley Earth are expected to confirm these findings. This record-breaking heat, combined with factors like the Tonga volcanic eruption and reduced sulfur pollution, raises concerns about meeting the Paris Agreement goals, with the 1.5-degree limit potentially becoming unattainable within a few years. Scientists note that most of the energy trapped by greenhouse gases is accumulating in the oceans, which have seen a significant increase in heat uptake since the 1990s. The overall heating of Earth, including oceans, land, air, and ice, has been accelerating since 1960, raising urgent questions about the future trajectory of global warming.
Source: The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/09/climate/2023-warmest-year-record.html?smid=li-share
(This article was written with assistance from ChatGPT)
