As the summer of 2023 winds down, we need to reflect on how much CO2 emissions have affected us over the years. 2023 has been an excruciatingly hot year due to climate change. Many cities and towns have been reaching over 100° Fahrenheit (38° C) on a daily basis. One city that has been reaching triple digits is London, London might have had one of its hottest summers in its entire history! 

Another problem with global warming is that sea levels are rising. This is due to massive ice caps in the Arctic region beginning to melt. This year, sea levels have risen to an all-time high. This could endanger places vulnerable to the ocean, including the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast, much of Asia, and many islands across the oceans. 

The reason why global warming is happening is mostly because of greenhouse gases, mainly CO2. Sadly, in recent years, CO2 emissions and ocean heat content have also reached record highs. This year has had the highest level of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere in a mind-boggling 800,000 years. Even though all this is happening, 2023 is still not the hottest year, that goes to 2016 because of the warming El Nino event. However, 2023 is only a fraction cooler than 2016.

 A report from the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) and the UK’s Met Office predicted that there is a 98% chance that at least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record and a 66% chance of temporarily exceeding 1.5°C above the pre-industrial warming levels for at least one of the five years.