Introduction

US government climate experts said Monday that there is about a 50% chance that 2023 will be the warmest year on record, with next year even hotter.

Expert Statements

“2023 has so far been the third hottest year on record,” said Sarah Kapnick, chief scientist for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “with a 50 percent chance of being the hottest.”

For his part, Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said that next year could be hotter than this year due to the periodic El Niño weather event over the Pacific Ocean, which leads to an additional increase in temperature.

“The greatest impact of El Niño will occur in 2024. Therefore, we expect that 2023 will not only be exceptionally hot and record-breaking, but 2024 will be even hotter,” added Schmidt.

Hottest Month on Record

Last week, the European Climate Change Observatory Copernicus reported that July was the hottest month on record.

Climate Change Impacts

“Climate change is affecting people and ecosystems around the world,” said Kate Calvin, NASA chief scientist.

“In addition to temperature changes, we are seeing other climate changes such as rising sea levels, shrinking sea ice in the Arctic, wildfires and increased rainfall,” she added.

Source

Source: AFP