The summer of 2023 became the hottest in recorded history

The summer of 2023 became the hottest on the planet in recorded history, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Copernicus Climate Change Research Service.

The report notes that the August value of sea ice extent in the Antarctic was 12% below the average. To date, this is the largest deviation from the norm for the end of summer since the beginning of satellite observations – that is, since the end of the 1970s.

Environmentalists predict that with a probability of 98 percent, one of the next five years will be even hotter, and the average temperature on the planet may increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Earlier, the European Service for the Study of Climate Change announced that last July was the hottest month since 1850. According to scientists, the average global temperature in July 2023 was almost 17°C, which is 1.5°C higher than the pre-industrial July temperature and 0.3°C higher than the previous record July 2019. Extreme heat, as well as a record number of related fires, were recorded on all continents.

UN meteorologists associate the record heat with anthropogenic climate change and the beginning of El Niño – an increase in the temperature of the equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean. High temperatures lead to the death and deterioration of well-being of people and animals, the destruction of plants, damage to houses, infrastructure and architectural monuments, and also contributes to the spread of droughts and forest fires.