It might seem like a bit of a non-event, to say that the last year was the hottest on record, and that’s because it’s become a bit of a trend.

It’s almost like the people who have been nattering on about climate change are onto something.

The analysis was courtesy of NASA, who took a little while to run the surface temp numbers and release their official conclusion.

What they found was that globally, the temperature was 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit above the average from their baseline period (1951-1980).

“NASA and NOAA’s global temperature report confirms what billions of people around the world experienced last year; we are facing a climate criss. From extreme heat, to wildfires, to rising sea levels, we can see our Earth is changing. There’s still more work to be done, but President Biden and communities across America are taking more action than ever to reduce climate risks and help communities become more resilient – and NASA will continue to use our vantage point of space to bring critical data back down to Earth that is understandable and accessible for all people. NASA and the Biden-Harris Administration are working to protect our home planet and its people, for this generation – and the next.”

In fact, every month from June through December in 2023 was the hottest on record – a stunning fact, says Gavin Schmidt, the director of GISS.

“The exceptional warming that we’re experiencing is not something we’ve seen before in human history.  It’s driven primarily by our fossil fuel emissions, and we’re seeing the impacts in heat waves, intense rainfall, and coastal flooding.”

Along with human impact, scientists consider that things like El Nino, aerosols, pollution, and volcanic eruptions can also impact weather patterns.

This past summer the Pacific Ocean transitioned from La Nina to El Nino and the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha-apai undersea volcano also played a role in changing patterns.

“Even with occasional cooling factors like volcanoes or aerosols, we will continue to break records as long as greenhouse gas emissions keep going up. And, unfortunately, we just set a new record for greenhouse gas emissions again this past year.”

So yes, scientists are still very much sounding the alarm.

“The record-setting year of 2023 underscores the significance of urgent and continued actions to address climate change. Recent legislation has delivered the U.S. government’s largest-ever climate investment, including billions to strengthen America’s resilience to the increasing impacts of the climate crisis. As an agency focused on studying our changing climate, NASA’s fleet of Earth observing satellites will continue to provide critical data of our home planet at scale to help all people make informed decisions.”

If you’re curious, NASA gathers temperature records from surface air temperature data collected from tens of thousands of stations around the globe.

They also collect sea surface temperature data, then analyze it all while accounting for the spacing of these stations, as well as urban heating effects.

Then, they double check these numbers against those compiled by NOAA and the Hadley Centre.

So you can trust that they’re accurate.

The sky is actually falling.

If you think that’s fascinating, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.