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The Met Office have confirmed that 2022 was the UK’s hottest year on record, with an average temperature of over 10°C recorded for the first time.
Prof Stephan Harrison, Professor of Climate and Environmental Change at the University of Exeter, said:
“The message from the Met Office that UK average recorded temperatures have risen above 10 degrees C for the first time is extremely significant. It reinforces what scientists have been saying for decades now that climate change is real and is happening, and it supports the arguments that change is likely to be faster over the land masses of the Northern Hemisphere than almost anywhere else.
“The impacts of continued warming on agriculture and ecosystems will be profound. Farming will have to undergo a radical transformation in coming years, and we must prepare for enormous changes in biodiversity in the UK.”
Dr Vikki Thompson, climate scientist at the University of Bristol Cabot Institute for the Environment, said:
“2023 began with the warmest January day on record for several European countries. Some parts of the UK are also currently experiencing unseasonably mild temperatures. This follows last year’s trend, which was the hottest on record for the UK and much of Europe.
“Heatwaves are projected to continue increasing in frequency and getting hotter due to human-induced climate change. The summer heatwaves in Europe led to more than 20,000 excess deaths. Although less deadly, winter heatwaves impact agriculture, wildlife, and tourism.
“All this means we will need to adapt to reduce the detrimental effects on society and ecosystems.”
Prof Richard Allan, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading, said:
“Human-caused climate change explains the unprecedented nature of the summer heatwave in the UK as well as the sustained warmth seen throughout most of 2022, with an annual temperature above 10 degrees C for the first time in our observational record, but sharp cold snaps like the one experienced in December are still possible in a warmer world.
“Higher temperatures in the UK are contributing to more severe heatwaves, droughts and wildfires but also more intense rainfall events and associated flooding and these impacts will become progressively worse until global temperatures are stabilized by cutting global carbon emissions to net zero.”
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2023/climate-change-drives-uks-first-year-over-10c#:~:text=It%20is%20now%20possible%20to,recorded%20for%20the%20first%20time.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2023/climate-change-drives-uks-first-year-over-10c#:~:text=It%20is%20now%20possible%20to,recorded%20for%20the%20first%20time.
Declared interests
Nothing to declare.