The World Weather Organization (WMO) officially confirmed the record high global average temperature for 2023 on Friday. After evaluating six different series of measurements, she gave the value as 1.45 degrees above the pre-industrial level (1850-1900). All six institutes from which the series of measurements come from classified 2023 as the hottest year. The new WMO chief, Celeste Saulo, warned that this year could bring another record.
So far, 2016 has been the hottest year since industrialization. The global average temperature at that time was around 1.29 degrees higher. In 2022 it was 1.15 degrees warmer than before industrialization.
The European climate service Copernicus had this week put the global average temperature for 2023 at 1.48 degrees above pre-industrial times. For its calculation, the WMO also evaluated series of measurements from three American and two British institutes. It indicates the measurement uncertainty as plus/minus 0.12 degrees. According to the WMO, the actual average temperature was probably 15.09 degrees.
WMO head Saulo pointed out that the natural weather phenomenon El Niño influenced temperatures last year. It causes a rise in water temperatures in parts of the Pacific and higher air temperatures every few years. Its counterpart, La Niña, is depressing temperatures. “The fact that the cooling La Niña turned into a warming El Niño by mid-2023 is clearly reflected in the temperature increase last year,” said Saulo. “Because El Niño typically has the greatest impact on global temperatures after it peaks, it could get even hotter in 2024.” The US Weather Agency expects El Niño to weaken over the course of the spring.
Saulo called on the global community to curb climate change more decisively. This requires more drastic cuts in climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions and a faster transition to renewable energies. “Climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity,” she said.