2023 set records for global temperatures, which is news, but such news is frequently dismissed as normal variations by some people. The way it set the records is news, too. Since May 2023, every month set a new record, and did so by a lot.
“Copernicus rates 2023 as being nearly 1.5° C above pre-industrial temperatures and about 0.17° C above 2016, the previous holder of the warmest year on record. The difference between 2023 and 2022 was the largest single-year change in the record as well, confirming that the amount of warming this past year was exceptional.” – Ars Technica
The line on the chart no longer lives anywhere near the historical data. Even prior to May, the each month in 2023 was frequently in the top three or four hottest months. There were some expected variations, such as El Nino and La Nina, but 2023’s data continue a trend that has been worrisome, and now appears to possibly be accelerating. Climate change is already affecting the magnitude of climate disasters. This acceleration of climate heating will necessarily accelerate human responses, and the human and financial costs associated with them.
Pretending Not To Panic 
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