PROPERTY SEARCH
PROPERTY SEARCH
2023 goes down in history as the hottest year of all time
In Spain, the ongoing drought has been ranked among the ten most costly natural disasters caused by climate change
Across Europe, January 2023 was the third warmest first month of the year on record. February was the second hottest in history, March was the same and April wasn’t too far behind, with the fourth warmest temperatures ever recorded.
However, all of the remaining months, May through November, globally reached such scorching temperatures that they have officially become the hottest since records began.
And while it will be a couple of weeks yet before December’s data is released by Copernicus, the Earth Observation Program of the EU, scientists are in little doubt that 2023 will go down in history as the warmest year of all time.
According to Copernicus’s deputy director Samantha Burgess, the temperatures last year were 1.43ºC above the pre-industrial era. This is very bad news for our planet, since the figure is approaching the 1.5ºC threshold set in the Paris Agreement.
Of course, the effects of increasing global temperatures are already being felt and extreme weather events are becoming something of the norm.
"The heat waves are more intense and severe and are expected to continue like this and even be longer, the hurricanes will be of higher category and the phenomena associated with droughts or floods will be accentuated among many other things. The retreat of glaciers and the melting of the polar regions will continue," explained meteorologist Mar Gómez.
Gómez also pointed out that "a series of deadly heat waves and notable record temperatures have hit several continents this year, while unprecedented ocean heat covered much of the world."
On top of the punishing heatwaves experienced in Spain all summer, it has been revealed that last year’s drought was ranked among the ten most costly natural disasters caused by climate change, on a list of 20 global events including cyclones, floods and fires.
According to the experts, the drought has already cost each Spaniard 45.5 euros, totally more than 2.1 billion overall.
With this latest data, it’s clear that climate action is no longer a luxury but an obligation, and governments will need to redouble their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Find all the latest weather and climate change news here or join our Spain Weather Watch Facebook group for regular updates
Image: Meteored
See more environmental news about Spain:
OR
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin to get a comprehensive email with all the week’s news for Spain, Murcia, Alicante and Andalucía.
Get a sneak peek – here are a few of our recent Subscription Bulletins:
25% Discount Special Offer subscription:
36.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
Contact Spanish News Today: Editorial 966 260 896 /
Office 968 018 268
