Climate change, triggered by the greenhouse gases emitted by humanity, is largely responsible for the exceptional situation in which the planet finds itself. This October was by far the warmest October on record. These begin in 1850, although some paleoclimate scientists claim that the planet’s surface has not been this warm for tens of thousands of years. In addition, 2023 will also almost certainly be the warmest year on record, as the climate service Copernicus detailed this Wednesday. So far this year, temperatures have already been 1.43 degrees above the average for the pre-industrial era (1850-1900), the European Commission-dependent agency added.
Human-caused warming is primarily responsible for the rise in global temperatures on the planet, but the climate system is complex and there are other factors that also have an influence. Such as the El Niño phenomenon, a natural phenomenon that causes sea surface temperatures in tropical areas of the Pacific Ocean to rise, ultimately affecting the global climate. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned this Wednesday that the current El Niño episode, which began in the northern summer, will last at least until spring 2024. In addition, reinforcement is expected.
“The impact of El Niño on global temperature typically occurs the year after it forms, in this case 2024. However, due to record land and sea surface temperatures since June, 2023 is on track to be the warmest year will be placed on record,” WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in a statement. “Next year could be even warmer,” warned Taalas, who insisted that the main cause of warming was “clearly and unequivocally” greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.
This Wednesday, the WMO updated its analysis of the expected development of El Niño. The document states that “conditions typical of an El Niño episode occurred in the equatorial region of the Pacific in the Northern Hemisphere in the spring of 2023.” , which corresponds to a moderate episode of this phenomenon,” explain the WMO experts. “It is very likely that the current El Niño episode will continue next winter in the Northern Hemisphere (90% probability) and will reach levels consistent with an intense episode at its peak,” they add.
Despite everything, Copernico also emphasizes that “El Niño conditions continued to develop in the equatorial Pacific, although the anomalies remain lower than those reached at this time of year during the development of the historically strong events of 1997 and 2015.” Just that last episode eight years ago contributed to 2016 continuing to be the warmest year on record. However, there is nothing left of this reign, as most international weather authorities expect the next record to be reached in 2023. “We can say with some certainty that 2023 will be the warmest year on record, with temperatures currently 1.43 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial era,” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate exchange, said on Wednesday . “Taking ambitious action on climate change at COP28 has never been more urgent,” he added, referring to the UN climate summit starting later this month in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
You can follow CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT on Facebook and Xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter
Information is the first remedy against climate change. Subscribe to it.
Subscribe to
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
_