Global warming exceeded temperatures of 1.5 degrees C over a 12-month period for the first time in record keeping.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service released its findings in its Global Climate Highlights 2023 report on Thursday, calling out the 1.5 degree C benchmark set out by the Paris Agreement set in hopes of limiting the effects of climate change.
“2023 marks the first time on record that every day within a year has exceeded 1°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial level for that time of year,” the report stated. “Close to 50% of days were more than 1.5°C warmer than the 1850-1900 level, and two days in November were, for the first time, more than 2°C warmer.”
Last year was the planet’s hottest year in global records going back to 1850, while extreme weather events of last year have continued into 2024, C3S said.
The year-to-year increase in global-average temperature was exceptionally large from