Record-breaking heat in September results in warmest global temperatures due to climate change

According to the EU climate service, September 2023 has broken records as the warmest September ever recorded, surpassing the previous high by a significant margin. The average temperature last month was 0.93 degrees Celsius hotter than the average September temperature from 1991 to 2020, and 0.5 degrees Celsius hotter than the previous record set in 2020. Experts attribute this ongoing heat to both the emissions of warming gases and the El Niño weather event. Consequently, scientists believe that 2023 is on track to be the warmest year ever recorded. September's record-breaking temperatures follow the hottest summer on record in the northern hemisphere, indicating that high temperatures are persisting. Data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service reveals that September had the largest deviation from the long-term average since 1940. Scientists have been astounded by the data, with one climate scientist describing it as "absolutely gobsmackingly bananas." The heating has been particularly notable in Europe, where temperatures exceeded the long-term average by 2.51 degrees Celsius. Dr. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, stressed the extraordinary nature of the temperature increase in September, which followed a record-breaking summer. The global temperature rise is measured by comparing current temperatures to those before the widespread use of fossil fuels. In September, temperatures were approximately 1.75 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the highest figure recorded for a single month. This alarming trend has caused concern among researchers, as political leaders had agreed in 2015 to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius this century. Although September's figure does not breach that agreement, it is undoubtedly a worrisome development. Scientists predict that this year overall will remain within the 1.5-degree Celsius limit, but they expect 2023 to become the warmest year ever recorded. Extreme heat has persisted into October, breaking monthly high temperature records in various regions, including Spain. Furthermore, global temperatures may continue to rise significantly due to the ongoing El Niño weather event, which has yet to reach its peak. El Niño causes warm water to rise to the surface in the East Pacific, releasing additional heat into the atmosphere. This phenomenon, combined with long-term human-induced warming resulting from the burning of fossil fuels and the release of greenhouse gases, is contributing to soaring global temperatures. The scale of the heating puts pressure on political leaders as they prepare to gather for the COP28 climate summit in November, leading experts to urge ambitious climate action. According to Dr. Burgess, there has never been a greater sense of urgency for decisive measures to combat climate change.