Record ocean heat content.

Over 90% of the heat trapped by CO2 and other GHGs accumulates in the Earth's oceans. Between 2021 and 2022 ocean heat content increased by 11 zettajoules – which is around 19 times as much as the total energy produced by all human activities on Earth.

5th or 6th warmest on surface.

La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific pushed temperatures down a bit in 2022, but it was still the 5th or 6th warmest year since records began in the mid-1800s for the Earth's surface at 1.1C to 1.3C above preindustrial levels.

2nd warmest with El Nino/La Nina removed

Removing effects of both El Nino and La Nina on the temperature record show 2022 as the second warmest year after 2020. It also shows a much steadier warming, illustrating the role of El Nino and La Nina in generating illusory "pauses".

Warmest for 28 countries / 850 million people

2022 saw the warmest year on record for countries including Afghanistan, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK among others.

2022 saw extremes around the world linked to climate change.

These include record-breaking extreme heat events in the UK and Europe, China, India and Pakistan and South America, and catastrophic flooding in Pakistan, Brazil, West Africa and South Africa. https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/

Record high greenhouse gas concentrations.

CO2, CH4, and N2O all saw high concentrations reached, likely unprecedented over at least the past few million years.

CH4 in particular has been increasing rapidly in recent years after experiencing a plateau in the mid-2000s.

Record high sea levels.

Sea levels have risen by around 0.2 meters (200mm) since 1900. There is also evidence of accelerating sea level rise over the post-1993 period when high-quality satellite altimetry data is available.

Record low Antarctic sea ice (and Arctic sea ice on the low end of the historical average).

The Arctic saw its 10th lowest summer minimum on record, while the Antarctic saw new record low sea ice extent for much of the year.

Where are we headed for 2023?

Four different groups (including @[email protected]) predicted surface temperatures for 2023, and all suggest it is likely to be slightly warmer than 2022 but unlikely to set a new record due to lingering La Nina conditions in the first quarter.

At the same time, we are increasingly likely to see a new record in 2024 as we are projected to transition into El Nino conditions in late 2023.

More broadly, the world is currently on track to pass 1.5C in the mid-2030s and 2C by around 2060: