Report says 2023 set new records on heat, other climate-change factors

Israelis cool off during a heatwave in a pool from the Byzantine Period with water from the Haniya Natural Spring in the Judean Mountains National Park, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, West Bank, in July 2023. The NOAA said in a new report that 2023 set new records for heat and other climate change statistics. File Photo by Debbie Hill/ UPI | License Photo

Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A new report released Thursday confirms that 2023 marked a string of new highs in climate change -- from greenhouse gas concentrations and global temperatures, to a rise in sea and ocean levels, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The NOAA said the new figures come from the State of the Climate report, an international review of climate data that was published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, involving scientists from 60 countries.

"This report documents and shares a startling but well-established picture: We are experiencing a warming world as I speak and the indicators and impacts are seen throughout the planet," Derek Arndt, director of the National Centers for Environmental Information, said in a statement. "The report is another signpost to current and future generations."

The report said that the three main greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere -- carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide -- all reached record highs in 2023. Surface temperatures were 0.99 to 1.08 Fahrenheit above the 1991-2000 average, giving 2023 the title for the hottest year on record.

"The transition in the Pacific Ocean from La Nina at the beginning of the year to a strong El Nino by the end of the year contributed to the record warmth," the NOAA said. " All seven major global temperature datasets used for analysis in the report agree that the last nine years (2015-2023) were the nine warmest on record."

The report said heatwaves and droughts contributed to large wildfires seen around the world from Canada to Ireland and even Australia.

Scientists said the Arctic had its fourth warmest year on record in 2023 over 124 years of recorded history. It said the region's sea ice extent was the fifth smallest in the last 45 years.

The new report comes after the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain said earlier this month that the heat killed more than 47,000 people in 2023 in Europe alone.

In July, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said June 2024 was hotter than June on record and worldwide temperatures for the past 12 months were 1.5 degrees Celsius greater than the average before the pre-industrial age.