Climate scientists have been left astonished and concerned by the unprecedented warmth.
September 2023 has entered the climate record books as the hottest September on record, according to data released by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service
Zeke Hausfather, a climate research lead at Stripe, called it “absolutely gobsmackingly bananas.” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, noted that this hottest September on record was not just about surpassing previous records but doing so by a significant degree. September 2023’s average surface air temperatures were nearly a degree Fahrenheit hotter than the previously hottest September on record in 2020.
What’s even more concerning is that September 2023 was not just a record-breaker; it was the most anomalously warm month ever recorded, meaning it deviated further from the average than any previous month.
This scorching trend has continued into October, with record-breaking temperatures and unseasonable warmth across the United States and Europe. Even the Southern Hemisphere, which should be experiencing winter, is grappling with unseasonably warm temperatures.
The relentless rise in temperatures throughout 2023 puts this year on track to become the hottest September on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2016
This pace of global warming has taken many scientists by surprise, even though climate models had predicted such a trajectory. Climate scientists are pointing to the influence of El Niño, a natural climate pattern, which is compounding the effects of human-caused climate change, pushing temperatures into uncharted territories.
With El Niño conditions expected to persist into 2024, there is concern that more records may be broken in the future. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for immediate action to mitigate the devastating consequences of climate change, according to experts. The impact of human-caused global warming is undeniable.
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