The past 12 months on earth were the hottest ever recorded, according to a report by Climate Central, a non-profit science research group.
The peer-reviewed report says burning petrol, coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels that release planet-warming gases such as carbon dioxide, and other human activities, caused the unnatural warming from November 2022 to October 2023.
During the course of the year, 7.3 billion people, or 90 per cent of humanity, endured at least 10 days of high temperatures that were made at least three times more likely because of climate change.
The average global temperature was 1.3C higher than the pre-industrial climate, which scientists say is close to the limit countries agreed not to go over in the Paris Agreement – a 1.5C rise.
The impacts were apparent as one in four humans, or 1.9 billion people, suffered from dangerous heatwaves.
AAP
