NBC News reports that Earth has officially had its hottest year in the records since 1850, confirming what scientists have been afraid of. 

The E.U. Copernicus Climate Change Service has reported global temperatures were higher in 2023 than any other year, averaging 1.48 Degrees Celsius. Scientists are extremely worried, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, Samantha Burgess says, “2023 was an exceptional year with climate records tumbling like dominoes.” The effect of the extreme heat temperatures were felt in nearly every country last year, the world’s ocean’s heat rising as well. The cause of this being El Niño, a natural climate pattern characterized by warmer waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. El Niño typically comes from warming from human-caused climate change, making hotter temperatures more likely.

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