October global temperature hits record high amid climate goal concerns

Global temperature hit 15.37°C to pass previous record by about 0.3°C

October 2023 was the warmest October on record, with global temperatures reaching a new high. AP

The global average temperature for October reached a record high, surpassing the previous record by approximately 0.3°C.

This was the fifth consecutive month of unusually high temperatures, potentially leading to 2023 being the hottest year yet recorded, according to a preliminary assessment by climate scientists.

In October, heat-related events worldwide included a wildfire in south-east Los Angeles, fuelled by Santa Ana winds, which led to the evacuation of about 4,000 residents; areas of Argentina's Cordoba province had to be evacuated due to wildfires during an intense heatwave; and on the Spanish island of Tenerife, about 3,000 people were forced from their homes as firefighters and helicopters battled a significant blaze during high temperatures.

Karsten Haustein, from Leipzig University, analysed data from the US National Centres for Environmental Prediction, which indicated a significant temperature increase.

The model, incorporating satellite data and other observations, showed that the average global temperature for the first 28 days of October was 15.37°C, edging past the former record – October 2019, which had an average of 14.9°C.

While the UK's Met Office has confirmed that the country recorded temperatures 1°C above the average, with southern parts experiencing increases between 1.5°C and 2°C, the global picture reflects a broader pattern of warming.

Mr Haustein said: “Human-induced warming, boosted by El Nino, is the main driver of the streak of record warm months”, altering Pacific trade winds and ocean temperatures and contributing to warmer years.

As countries prepare for the upcoming Cop28 climate summit in Dubai, Mr Haustein underscored the urgency that these record temperatures signify for global climate policy and action.

Dr James Hansen of the Columbia University Earth Institute has said that keeping global warming within a 1.5°C limit is now an unattainable goal. “The 2°C global warming limit is dead. The 1.5°C is deader than a doornail,” he said on Thursday?

His recent research, published in the journal Oxford Open Climate Change, suggests that CO2 levels doubling could result in a 4.8°C increase in global temperatures, surpassing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's previous estimates.

The UN Environment Programme's Adaptation Gap report reveals an expanding financial discrepancy between the resources needed by developing countries to combat climate change and the support provided by wealthier nations.

The report indicates that affluent countries fall at least $194 billion short annually in aiding poorer countries to establish flood defences and implement other adaptive measures, noting an increase from the previous year's gap.