Scientists say 2023 was the hottest year on record

(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - 2023 was the hottest year on record, showing that the planet moved closer to breaking a critical warming trend.

According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), last year was the warmest 12-month period in global temperature data stretching back to 1850, with the average temperature hitting 14.98 degrees Celsius or nearly 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

C3S scientists said 2023 was also the first time on record that every day within a year surpassed one degree Celsius above the pre-industrial levels.

The burning of fossil fuels is the chief driver of the climate crisis that is fueling extreme heat around the world.

This new record puts Earth in touching distance of the critical warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius, which once reached means climate impacts become increasingly harmful for people and the planet.