January 28th, 20242023 the warmest year on record

The Copernicus Climate Change Service has this month announced that 2023 was officially the hottest year in recorded history. 

The announcement follows a preliminary press release, 30 November, by the World Meteorological Organization which showed that data even up to the end of October 2023 meant that the year 2023 was about 1.40 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.     

Copernicus’s full record, which now includes November and December data, saw that record temperature updated to 1.48 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. 

CSIRO experts, who are undertaking a wide range of research to help governments, industries and communities tackle climate change, have responded. 

Among them Dr Zoë Loh, Observations – Greenhouse Gases Team Leader, says the need to reduce greenhuse gas emissions is “critical”.  

“It is both critical and urgent that we reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is driven by rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,” Dr Loh says.  

“Until we cut anthropogenic emissions to zero, greenhouse gas concentrations will continue to rise, driving further warming. To avoid smashing heat records year on year, we must reduce emissions as a matter of priority.”