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Diabierna, 6 October 2023 AWEMainta
Record-Breaking September Heat Sets
2023 on Course for Hottest Year Ever
UNPRECEDENTED heat continues to grip the Northern
Hemisphere, defying the onset of fall. Newly released data
from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change
Service reveals that September 2023 was the hottest
September on record, marking the fourth consecutive month
of this extraordinary heatwave. This trend places 2023 on a
trajectory to become the hottest year in recorded history,
surpassing all previous records.
A September Unlike Any Other
September shattered all expectations by surpassing the
previous record set in 2020 by a staggering 0.5 degrees
Celsius. This extreme deviation from normal temperatures
was described by Samantha Burgess, deputy director of
Copernicus, as “unprecedented” since records began in
1940. The global average air temperature for September
reached 16.38 degrees Celsius (61.45 Fahrenheit),
surpassing the 1991 to 2020 average by 0.93 degrees
Celsius and the pre-industrial era’s September average by
1.75 degrees Celsius.
A Harbinger of Climate Consequences
September’s scorching temperatures exceeded the critical
1.5 degrees Celsius threshold outlined in the Paris Climate
Agreement, which aims to limit global warming. While the
agreement primarily focuses on long-term average temper-
atures, September’s abnormal heat offers a glimpse of the
intensified extreme weather events that await the world as
temperatures continue to rise.
Impacts of the Unprecedented Heat
The ramifications of this abnormal heatwave were felt world-
wide. In September alone, devastating floods claimed lives
in Libya and affected several European countries, including
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Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Canada grappled with an
unparalleled wildfire season, South America endured record-
breaking heat, and New York faced historic rainfall.
Ocean temperatures also surged, reaching record levels
for September, while Antarctic sea ice declined to unprec-
edented lows for this time of year.
An Astonishing Reality
Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist, aptly summarized the
situation by calling it “absolutely gobsmackingly bananas.”
The extreme heat shows no signs of relenting even into
October, with several European nations breaking their all-
time October temperature records.
The likelihood of 2023 becoming the hottest year on record
now exceeds 93%, according to the U.S. National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration.
Human Influence on the Climate Crisis
The warming effect of El Niño, coupled with the long-term
impact of human-caused climate change, has fueled these
record-breaking temperatures. Friederike Otto, a climate
scientist, emphasized that “temperature records continue
to be broken because we have not stopped burning fossil
fuels.”
The Urgent Call for Action
The alarming margin by which heat records are being shat-
tered serves as a stark reminder of the urgency in addressing
the climate crisis. As nations prepare for the United Nations
COP28 climate summit in Dubai this December, the impera-
tive to phase out fossil fuels and take bold action to combat
climate change has never been clearer. The September heat-
wave should serve as a resounding wake-up call for policy-
makers and negotiators worldwide.