Devendra Kumar
The 2023 summer season was not only the warmest on record but also the warmest in some 2,000 years, according to new research. Scientists had previously declared the summer as the warmest since record-keeping began in the 1940s, but a new study published in the journal Nature suggests that the heat eclipsed temperatures over a far longer timeline. The research, which analyzed meteorological records dating back to the mid-1800s and temperature data from tree rings across nine northern sites, found that temperatures on lands between 30 and 90 degrees north latitude were 2.07 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial averages.
The study’s co-author, Jan Esper, a climate scientist at Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany, noted that when looking at the long sweep of history, it becomes clear just how dramatic recent global warming is. The research suggests that the summer months in 2023 were on average 2.2 degrees warmer than the estimated average temperature across the years 1 to 1890. While some scientists had previously suggested that the year 2023 was “very likely” to have been the warmest in some 100,000 years, Esper and his colleagues argue that such a long record is unlikely to be established with current scientific methods.
The intense summer heat was amplified by the El Niño climate pattern, which led to longer and more severe heatwaves and extended periods of drought. Heatwaves are already taking a toll on people’s health, with more than 150,000 deaths in 43 countries linked to heatwaves between 1990 and 2019. This accounts for about 1% of global deaths, roughly the same toll taken by the global Covid-19 pandemic. Europe had the highest per capita toll, with an average of 655 heat-related deaths each year per 10 million residents, while Greece, Malta, and Italy registered the highest excess deaths.
Extreme heat can trigger a range of health problems, including heart problems, breathing difficulty, and heat stroke. As the planet continues to warm, it is essential to understand the effects of heatwaves on human health and take steps to mitigate their impact. The research highlights the urgent need for climate action, as the consequences of inaction will only continue to worsen.