2023 defied climate expectations. It wasn’t just hotter than predicted — it was strangely hot. Now, scientists are piecing together what caused this anomaly, raising fresh concerns about Earth’s climate systems.
Gavin Schmidt, NASA’s top climate modeller at the Goddard Institute for Space Science, admitted to feeling “humbled” by 2023’s extraordinary temperatures. Writing in Nature earlier this year, Schmidt noted that the year was warmer than models anticipated. The deviation, unexplained at first, sparked worries that climate change is entering uncharted territory.
At December’s American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting, the world's largest Earth science conference, experts revisited the mystery. Like detectives solving a case, scientists meticulously ruled out some “suspects” while identifying others.
Key Suspects Behind the Heat Surge
El Niño
The natural El Niño event, which warms the tropical Pacific, began in 2023, contributing to global temperatures. Yet the warming exceeded even El Niño’s usual influence, raising eyebrows.
Cleaner Air from Shipping
New rules to reduce sulphur in ship fuel have lowered pollution levels. However, cleaner air allows more sunlight to reach the ocean surface, which adds to global warming.
Volcano and Solar Activity
The Hunga Tonga eruption in 2022 injected water vapour into the atmosphere but also sulphates, which slightly cooled the Earth. Meanwhile, the Sun reached its peak activity cycle, contributing minimal extra heat.
Cloud Cover Changes
Research by Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute found Earth reflected less sunlight in 2023 — its dimmest year yet. Reduced cloud cover, particularly over northern mid-latitudes, amplified warming. Cleaner air may have played a role, alongside long-term climate shifts that are altering cloud patterns.
The Bigger Picture
Global warming is accelerating. Some scientists argue that the drop in sulphur emissions is now speeding up heating, while changing cloud dynamics add to the uncertainty.
What’s Next
GISS modellers are now combining the latest data on sulphur emissions, cloud dynamics, and sunlight reflectivity into updated climate simulations. Schmidt expects these runs to clarify the contributions of various factors and potentially reshape projections for Earth’s future.
The findings are clear: warming is unlikely to slow any time soon.
Republican lawmakers in Washington are advancing a new bill that aims to impose some of the most stringent sanctions yet on any nation that continues ...
President Emomali Rahmon has warned of the severe impact of climate change on Tajikistan’s food security, noting that in 2025 the yields of several ...
Air quality in Tashkent deteriorated sharply with the Uzbekistan Hydrometeorological Service (Uzhydromet) reporting that concentrations of fine partic...
The Kremlin stated on Monday that it hoped another summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump could take place on...
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron signed a declaration of intent on cooperation at the Villacoublay air base ne...
Global warming is crossing dangerous thresholds sooner than expected with the world’s coral reefs now in an almost irreversible die-off, marking what scientists on Monday described as the first “tipping point” in climate-driven ecosystem collapse.
Following a deadly glacier collapse in Blatten, near the Swiss Alpine village of Kandersteg, the town is on high alert as melting permafrost and shifting rock threaten another potential disaster after it was buried a month ago.
Global tensions are rising as China’s curbs on critical mineral exports threaten to derail supply chains for automakers, defense firms, and tech giants around the world.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reports that March 2025 was the second-warmest globally and the warmest on record in Europe, signaling ongoing changes in global climate trends.
Ukraine is facing a sharp escalation in fighting across several fronts, with Russian forces launching large-scale offensive operations while Kyiv intensifies long-range strikes deep inside Russian territory.
Russia announced on Sunday that its forces had made significant advances in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, capturing two settlements as part of what it described as a broader offensive aimed at securing full control of the strategic territory.
Storm Claudia, which brought violent weather to Portugal, has resulted in the deaths of three people and left dozens injured, authorities reported on Saturday. Meanwhile, in Britain, rescue teams were organising evacuations due to heavy flooding in Wales and England.
U.S. President Donald Trump purchased at least $82 million in corporate and municipal bonds between late August and early October, including new investments in sectors benefiting from his policies, according to financial disclosures made public on Saturday.
Japan urged China on Saturday to take "appropriate measures" after Beijing issued a warning to its citizens against travelling to Japan, amid an ongoing dispute over Taiwan.
President Emomali Rahmon has warned of the severe impact of climate change on Tajikistan’s food security, noting that in 2025 the yields of several agricultural crops have fallen by almost fifty percent.
Australia says it won't co-host the COP31 climate summit with Türkiye amid an ongoing stalemate between the two countries over which one should stage the United Nations conference next year.
Australia’s ambition to host the COP31 climate summit is under serious threat as a fierce competition with Türkiye heats up.
Indigenous protesters defended charging the gates of Brazil's COP30 climate summit on Wednesday and clashing with security a day earlier, saying the action was aimed at demonstrating the desperation of their fight for forest protection.
China’s carbon dioxide emissions have remained flat and slightly declined over the past 18 months, according to new analysis for climate publication Carbon Brief, marking what could be a historic shift in the world’s largest emitter’s energy and economic trajectory.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment