2023 on track to be the hottest year on record, say scientists

Last month was hottest October since records began, with average global temperature thought to be 1.7C above late-1800s levels

The world is set to have been hotter in 2023 than in any other year on record, scientists have declared, before a landmark climate summit this month.

We can say with near certainty that 2023 will be the warmest year on record, and is currently 1.43C above the pre-industrial average," said Samantha Burgess, the deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The sense of urgency for ambitious climate action going into Cop28 has never been higher."