September 2023 Breaks Records as Hottest Month Ever, Putting Year on Track to Be Hottest in History
The world continues to grapple with extreme heat, as new data reveals that September 2023 was the hottest September on record. This marks the fourth consecutive month of unprecedented heat and sets the stage for 2023 to be the hottest year in recorded history.
According to data released by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, September 2023 surpassed the previous monthly record set in 2020 by a staggering 0.5 degrees Celsius. This makes it the hottest month ever recorded since Copernicus began keeping records in 1940.
Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus, described the temperatures observed in September as “unprecedented” and “breaking records by an extraordinary amount.” The average global air temperature for the month was 16.38 degrees Celsius, making it 0.93 degrees Celsius hotter than the 1991-2020 average and 1.75 degrees Celsius hotter than the September average in the pre-industrial era.
This rise in temperatures significantly surpasses the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold set by the Paris Climate Agreement. September’s heatwave, following the hottest summer ever recorded, provides a preview of the extreme weather events that can be expected as global temperatures continue to rise.
September alone witnessed devastating flooding in Libya and parts of Europe, unprecedented wildfires in Canada, scorching heatwaves in South America, and record-breaking rainfall in New York.
Ocean temperatures also reached alarming levels in September, with average sea surface temperatures reaching 20.92 degrees Celsius, the highest on record for September and the second-highest ever recorded for any month.
Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist, described September as “absolutely gobsmackingly bananas” and pointed out that even in October, extreme heat continues to break records across Europe.
With little sign of the heat dying down, it is now highly likely that 2023 will go down as the hottest year on record. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration puts the chances of this milestone being reached at over 93%.
This increase in temperatures can be partially attributed to the natural climate pattern El Niño, but the long-term trend of human-caused climate change is the underlying factor.
Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science, highlighted the urgency of addressing the issue, stating, “Temperature records continue to be broken because we have not stopped burning fossil fuels. It is that simple. People and ecosystems are dying.”
In December, countries will gather in Dubai for the United Nations COP28 climate summit to assess progress towards climate goals. A recent report indicates that the world is currently far off track in meeting these goals.
As policymakers and negotiators prepare for COP28, the record-breaking September temperatures serve as a wake-up call. Phasing out fossil fuels is an urgent and essential step toward combating climate change and preventing further catastrophic events.