PARIS- The European Union’s climate monitor, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), has declared that the preceding month of September set a staggering record as the hottest September ever recorded. This extraordinary feat underscores the perilous proximity to breaching a crucial warming threshold, as the world grapples with an alarming trajectory in climate change.
Across the globe, much of September witnessed unseasonably high temperatures, a troubling trend in a year predicted to be the hottest in human history. This record-breaking heatwave followed the Northern Hemisphere’s sweltering summer, which witnessed the highest-ever global temperatures.
According to the C3S report, September’s average surface air temperature registered at 16.38 degrees Celsius, surpassing the 1991-2020 average for the month by a remarkable 0.93 degrees Celsius. This exceeded the previous 2020 record by 0.5 degrees Celsius, a significant margin for temperature records, which are typically broken by much narrower margins, often around one-tenth of a degree.
The report underscores that this temperature anomaly is “the most anomalous warm month” in C3S’s dataset, dating back to 1940. Importantly, it stands as approximately 1.75 degrees Celsius hotter than the average September temperature during the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900.
Carlo Buontempo, Director of C3S, expressed astonishment, stating, “We’ve been through the most incredible September ever from a climate point of view. It’s just beyond belief.” Deputy Director Samantha Burgess emphasized the extraordinary nature of this record-breaking heat, stating that September’s temperatures “have broken records by an extraordinary amount.”
Alarmingly, global average temperatures from January to September in 2023 were 1.4 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900, inching dangerously close to the 1.5-degree warming goal set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. This threshold represents the more ambitious target of the accord and is considered vital to prevent the most catastrophic repercussions of climate change. Notably, the average global temperature for the January-September period in 2023 exceeded that of the same nine-month span in 2016, which had been the warmest year recorded to date by a margin of 0.05 degrees Celsius.
The looming El Nino phenomenon, characterized by warming waters in the southern Pacific and its tendency to exacerbate warmer conditions worldwide, is expected to propel 2023 into the annals as the hottest year on record within the next three months. Scientists predict that the full impact of the current El Nino will become most pronounced towards the end of 2023 and into the subsequent year. While El Nino plays a role in the elevated temperatures, Buontempo affirmed that climate change has considerably amplified its effects.
Europe bore the brunt of this scorching September, experiencing its hottest on record with temperatures surpassing the 1991-2020 average by a staggering 2.51 degrees Celsius. Numerous European nations shattered national temperature records for the month. The average sea surface temperature, excluding polar regions, also reached historic highs for September, measuring at 20.92 degrees Celsius.
Scientists emphasize that the rise in sea surface temperatures, an outcome of climate change, intensifies extreme weather events, as exemplified by the devastating floods in Libya and Greece triggered by Storm Daniel in September.
Further compounding the climate crisis, Antarctic sea ice remains at a record low level for this time of year, while monthly Arctic sea ice measures 18 percent below the average, as reported by C3S.
It remains imperative to acknowledge that oceans have absorbed a substantial 90 percent of the excess heat generated by human activities since the industrial age’s inception. As oceans warm, their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide diminishes, exacerbating the vicious cycle of global warming and imperiling delicate ecosystems.
In light of these alarming trends, the imperative for decisive climate action has never been more critical.
By AFP
