2023 Is On Track To Be The Planet's Hottest Year On Record
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
Alignment
If this summer feels a little warmer than usual, you are not wrong. The global temperatures in June 2023 far exceeded the previous record set in June 2019. The sweltering weather intensified in July. On August 14, 2023, NASA reported that it was the hottest month since global temperature record-keeping began in 1880. Some experts believe July may have been the hottest month in 120,000 years. If the trend continues into the fall and winter, 2023 may surpass 2016 as the hottest year on record.
What is causing the extreme weather?
Climate scientists attribute the extreme temperatures to global warming caused by rising carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and the return of El Niño.
Carbon dioxide emissions
Global CO2 emissions from burning oil, gas, and coal set a new record in 2022. Even worse, the world's two largest economies, China and the US, are showing no signs of cutting back. China's CO2 emissions hit a new high in the first quarter of 2023. US energy-related emissions are also expected to rise this year.
El Niño
El Niño means 'little boy' in Spanish. It is a climate pattern that describes above-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. El Niño events typically last nine to 12 months. They usually result in warmer weather around the world.
"El Niño is normally associated with record-breaking temperatures at the global level," C3S Director Carlo Buontempo explains. "Whether this will happen in 2023 or 2024 is not yet known, but it is, I think, more likely than not."
Extreme weather impact on the planet
This summer's sweltering temperatures have affected countries worldwide. Canada has been battling hundreds of wildfires since early June. The uncontrollable blazes have burned through millions of acres and caused mass evacuations. In Europe, firefighters are combating fires across the continent, from Portugal to Greece to Italy. The US is not immune either. The windswept wildfires that scorched Maui, Hawaii, on August 8, 2023, are believed to be the deadliest in the nation's history. So far, 114 people have been confirmed dead and over 800 are still missing.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall has caused massive floods in South Korea, Japan, India and Pakistan. Even the coldest place on Earth — Antarctica — has been impacted. The continent's sea ice usually reaches its maximum extent during the winter months (March to October). However, it is currently almost a million square miles (2.6 million square km) smaller than the expected annual average.
"Global mean temperature (itself) doesn't kill anyone," said Friederike Otto, a scientist with the Grantham Institute for Climate Change in London. "But a 'hottest July ever' manifests in extreme weather events around the globe."
Resources: Phys.org, weforum.org, Reuters.com
Get the Workbook for this article!
Workbook contains: Article, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking Questions, Vocabulary in Context (+ answers), Multiple Choice Quiz (+ answers), Parts of Speech Quiz (+ answers), Vocabulary Game (+ answers)Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
54 Comments
kawaii12about 3 yearsGlobal warming is so scary! i wonder what our planet will be like in the future....
summer33about 3 yearsAlthough it’s not too hot where I live right now, and I am not experiencing much heat, I still think this is really concerning. I hope that we can stop it from continuing!!- elliotyiabout 3 yearsGlobal Warming is really bad... Bahama is 97 during my vacay. 🥵
damoneyabout 3 yearsI live in Texas so it is super hot. some days it reached up to 108 degrees!
bendover12about 3 yearsits so hot for no reson<:(((((
jesus_freak22about 3 yearsWow. I thought this summer was hot in Missouri, but not record breaking. 🤨
kaybabyyabout 3 yearsway to hot- bdhiltslashabout 3 yearsSo hot ]:<
farpenguabout 3 yearsIt's almost 100 degrees in Colorado, it's hotter in fall than in summer!
waripako-169331637303about 3 yearsits so hot outside sice school started it feels like it a million % outside!
