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Scientists are increasingly linking extreme weather events with the warming of the planet, which is being largely caused by carbon emissions from fossil fuels. For example, warmer air can hold more moisture - meaning more intense rainfall and flooding. Pictured, a man pulls a bag of goods salvaged from a building as he wades through floodwaters on August 5, 2023 in Zhuozhou, Hebei Province south of Beijing, China
A man cools off at a temporary misting station deployed by the city in the Downtown Eastside due to a heat wave, in Vancouver, British Columbia, August 16, 2023
Brits may find the new record hard to believe as the country was hit by cold air and rain through much of the summer, despite heatwaves around mainland Europe. However, CS3 gives an average for the year for the entire world - so chillier-than-usual conditions in a single country does not tell the whole story. Pictured, holidaymakers on the beach in Weymouth, Dorset on July 31, 2023
In fact, nearly half of the 365 days in 2023 were more than 2.7°F (1.5°C) warmer then the 1850-1900 level, while two days in November were, for the first time, more than 3.6°F (2°C) warmer.
This is a worry because a global aim is to keep the average global temperature within 3.6°F (2°C) and if possible 2.7°F (1.5°C) as part of the Paris Agreement, a binding climate treaty signed in 2016.
Fortunately, the news doesn't mean we've surpassed the limits set by the Paris Agreement (as they refer to periods of at least 20 years where this average temperature anomaly is exceeded) but the new record for 2023 'sets a dire precedent'.
'The extremes we have observed over the last few months provide a dramatic testimony of how far we now are from the climate in which our civilisation developed,' said Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S.
'This has profound consequences for the Paris Agreement and all human endeavours.'
2023 set the record for warmest ever year largely due to 'unprecedented' global temperatures from June onwards, fueled mainly by greenhouse gases.
A Canadair firefighting plane sprays water during a fire in Dervenochoria, north-west of Athens, on July 19, 2023
A woman cools herself with a fan as temperatures due to sweltering conditions in Rome, July 18, 2023
In 2023, two days in November (17 and 18) were, for the first time, more than 3.6°F (2°C) warmer than the 'pre-industrial' average
Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane (the two most important greenhouse gases) continued to increase and reached record levels in 2023
Why are temperatures compared to 'pre-industrial' levels?
Scientists compare temperatures to pre-industrial levels in climate science because it provides a benchmark for understanding how much the Earth's climate has changed.
The pre-industrial period is typically defined as the time before human activities - such as burning coal for heat - began to have a significant impact on the Earth's climate.
By comparing current temperatures to pre-industrial temperatures, experts can isolate the effects of human activity from natural climate variability.
Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane (the two most important greenhouse gases) continued to increase and reached record levels in 2023.
What's more, each month from June to December in 2023 was warmer than the corresponding month in any previous year.
Several months of 2023 were the hottest on record for that particular month, such as September, November and December, as well as July (not only the hottest July ever but the hottest month ever).
Looking at Europe separately from the rest of the world, 2023 was the second-warmest year on record, after 2020.
In Europe, last year was 0.3°F (0.17°C) cooler than 2020 (Europe's warmest year on record) but temperatures were still above average for 11 months of 2023.
CS3's main metric for measuring how hot it is, is the temperature of the air, but it also keeps track of temperatures of the world's oceans.
Namely it looks at sea surface temperature – how hot the water is close to the ocean's surface.
Air surface temperatures are usually the main metric looked at when considering temperature rises, but ocean temperatures are key indicators too.
Unfortunately, it also registered new records here for 2023 as well, with 'persistently and unusually high' sea surface temperature anomalies.
Global average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) reached record levels from April through December, while August had the highest global monthly average sea surface temperature on record, at 69.76°F (20.98°C).
As well as greenhouse gases, the experts blame the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) for high ocean temperatures.
ENSO is a pattern of natural climate variability that sees ocean temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific switch between cooler (La Niña) and warmer (El Niño) than average conditions – influencing temperature and weather globally.
However, the transition to El Niño alone does not explain all of the increase in ocean surface temperatures globally in 2023, CS3 says.
With the reliance on fossil fuels for energy generation still persistent into 2024, there's every possibility this year could break the record just set by 2023.
'If we want to successfully manage our climate risk portfolio, we need to urgently decarbonise our economy whilst using climate data and knowledge to prepare for the future,' said Buontempo.
Droughts, floods, fires and typhoons: The 20 costliest climate disasters of 2023, revealed
From droughts, floods, wildfires and tropical storms, no corner of the globe was spared by disastrous climate events in 2023.
A new report reveals the 20 most financially costly climate disasters of the year – and all six of the world's populated continents are on the list.
At the top is the shocking Hawaii wildfires in August, which killed at least 100 people and cost over $4,000 per person in damages.
Also featured are the storms in Guam in May – which cost almost $1,500 per head of population – floods in New Zealand, droughts in Spain and wildfires in Chile.
Not only was 2023 the hottest year on record, but it marks the first time that every day within a year has gone 1.8°F (1°C) above the 'pre-industrial' average (the average between 1850 and 1900).
