It’s official: 2023 was the hottest year on record. The European Union Copernicus Climate Change Service says that 2023 was 1.48C warmer than the pre-industrial range (1850-1900). This is dangerously close to the 1.5C goal set by the Paris Agreement, and a shocking increase from 2016, at which point global average temperatures were 1.25C warmer than pre-industrial levels. The culprit is thought to be the record-breaking wildfires across Canada as well as the continued burning of fossil fuels, which is accompanied by massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere. In fact, atmospheric CO2 hit 419ppm in 2023. Climate scientist, James Hansen, warned the US Congress in 1988 about global warming, and back then it was only 351ppm CO2. For more information, click here!