2023: Earth’s Hottest Year on Record

2023 was the hottest year on record, reaching 1.4°C above the 1881-1910 baseline. This warming is driven by unprecedented levels of carbon pollution from fossil fuels, leading to more frequent and intense extreme weather events globally.

• Global surface temperatures in 2023 were the highest in the 144-year record, measuring 1.4°C (2.52°F) above the early industrial baseline average of 1881-1910. Records were broken for seven consecutive months from June to December, including the hottest boreal summer and fall seasons.
• Human-caused climate change drove extreme heat events in 2023 across multiple regions, including China, the U.S., Europe, South Asia, South America, northern Africa, and Madagascar. Approximately 90% of the global population experienced at least 10 days of temperatures strongly influenced by climate change in the 12 months ending October 2023.
• The United States experienced a record 28 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2023. Additionally, 45 U.S. cities saw summer heat that was at least twice as likely to occur due to human-caused climate change on 50% to 98% of all summer days.
• The current rapid warming is caused by heat-trapping pollution from human activities, specifically the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. This trend cannot be explained by natural drivers such as El Niño, volcanic emissions, or solar activity; climate models only match observed warming since 1850 when human activities are included.
• The planet has warmed faster in the last 50 years than at any point in at least the previous 2,000 years, and is currently hotter than at any time in at least the last 125,000 years.

APA

Climate Central (2024). 2023: Earth’s Hottest Year on Record. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2023-earths-hottest-year-on-record

Chicago

Climate Central. 2023: Earth’s Hottest Year on Record. 2024. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2023-earths-hottest-year-on-record.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=2023: Earth’s Hottest Year on Record |date=12 January 2024 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2023-earths-hottest-year-on-record |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral20242023, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{2023: Earth’s Hottest Year on Record}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2023-earths-hottest-year-on-record}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }