Expert comment: 2023 could be warmest year on record
08 November 2023
Climate experts from the University of Reading have responded to a new study from Copernicus that suggested 2023 could be the warmest year on record.
Professor Richard Allan, Professor of Climate Science, University of Reading, said:
“It is one of the worst kept secrets that 2023 looks set to be the warmest year globally in the observational record and with October warmth continuing the record crushing trend and an El Niño flexing its muscles it seems a dead cert. Only with rapid and massive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors can we avoid these repeating headlines of record breaking warmth and more importantly limit the growing severity of wet, hot and dry extremes that accompany a rapidly warming world.”
Dr Akshay Deoras, Research Scientist, National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, said:
“The sizzling October 2023 is another unfortunate example that shows how temperature records are getting shattered by a humongous margin. Global warming due to increased greenhouse gas emissions and El Niño in the tropical Pacific Ocean are hitting the planet really hard. It is frightening to see that the global temperature since June 2023 is much warmer than that during the second half of 2015 when El Niño was much stronger. Our planet continues to pass through unfortunate milestones in its meteorological history, and it won’t be surprising to see new records in subsequent months.”
Professor Ed Hawkins, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading and National Centre for Atmospheric Science, said:
“Another month, another unprecedented record. The consequences are all too clear: floods, heatwaves and storms, all made worse by climate change and our reliance on burning fossil fuels. We already have many of the solutions to wean ourselves off this deadly addiction, but only if different choices are made to confront this issue now, rather than pretend it will be solved in the future and therefore commit the world to even worse consequences.”
Professor Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology at the University of Reading, said: "The latest data from Copernicus shows that last month was far and away the warmest October we have on record. If you look at the data series, you can see just how far outside the range this is from what would be considered a normal October.
"El Niño has probably contributed a bit to the record high temperatures, but we know that it is the underlying, steady increase in global greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that is the primary cause of this warming. We should remember that even when El Niño is in its opposite, cooling phase of La Nina in the last decade, we have still experienced some of the warmest years on record.
"The likely impacts of this extra heat are well understood. We are already seeing its impact in more violent storms, heavier rains and floods, and more intense, frequent and longer heatwaves, droughts and wildfires. There is a solution, which is to stop putting so much extra carbon into the atmosphere. Science has mapped out the future implications of a range of scenarios. I hope, for the future of my children and all humanity, that people see that choosing the low-emissions scenario is the best for everyone."
“It is one of the worst kept secrets that 2023 looks set to be the warmest year globally in the observational record and with October warmth continuing the record crushing trend and an El Niño flexing its muscles it seems a dead cert. Only with rapid and massive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors can we avoid these repeating headlines of record breaking warmth and more importantly limit the growing severity of wet, hot and dry extremes that accompany a rapidly warming world.”
Dr Akshay Deoras, Research Scientist, National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, said:
“The sizzling October 2023 is another unfortunate example that shows how temperature records are getting shattered by a humongous margin. Global warming due to increased greenhouse gas emissions and El Niño in the tropical Pacific Ocean are hitting the planet really hard. It is frightening to see that the global temperature since June 2023 is much warmer than that during the second half of 2015 when El Niño was much stronger. Our planet continues to pass through unfortunate milestones in its meteorological history, and it won’t be surprising to see new records in subsequent months.”
Professor Ed Hawkins, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading and National Centre for Atmospheric Science, said:
“Another month, another unprecedented record. The consequences are all too clear: floods, heatwaves and storms, all made worse by climate change and our reliance on burning fossil fuels. We already have many of the solutions to wean ourselves off this deadly addiction, but only if different choices are made to confront this issue now, rather than pretend it will be solved in the future and therefore commit the world to even worse consequences.”
Professor Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology at the University of Reading, said: "The latest data from Copernicus shows that last month was far and away the warmest October we have on record. If you look at the data series, you can see just how far outside the range this is from what would be considered a normal October.
"El Niño has probably contributed a bit to the record high temperatures, but we know that it is the underlying, steady increase in global greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that is the primary cause of this warming. We should remember that even when El Niño is in its opposite, cooling phase of La Nina in the last decade, we have still experienced some of the warmest years on record.
"The likely impacts of this extra heat are well understood. We are already seeing its impact in more violent storms, heavier rains and floods, and more intense, frequent and longer heatwaves, droughts and wildfires. There is a solution, which is to stop putting so much extra carbon into the atmosphere. Science has mapped out the future implications of a range of scenarios. I hope, for the future of my children and all humanity, that people see that choosing the low-emissions scenario is the best for everyone."
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