The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) confirmed 2023 as the hottest year in global temperature records going back to 1850. When checked against paleoclimatic (a climate distinctive to a past geological age) data records from sources such as tree rings and air bubbles in glaciers, Scientists said it was "very likely" the warmest year in the last 100,000 years. This news highlights the ongoing issue of climate change and its impact on our planet. Rising temperatures can lead to more extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and other environmental challenges. It is important for us to take action and make changes and work for solutions to reduce this problem.

This issue will just get worse. The reason our planet is getting warmer is because of something called greenhouse gasses. These gasses trap heat from the sun and warm the Earth and humans are a big part of the problem. We burn fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas for energy, and this is what adds more of these gasses into the mix: gasses like methane (CH₄), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). This can lead to melting ice caps, crazy weather like hurricanes and heat waves, and animals struggling to survive due to environmental changes too rapid to adapt to.

CO₂ emissions play a big role in this issue. The levels rose to the highest level recorded of 419 parts per million. Carbon dioxide rising to the earth's atmosphere is partly to blame for climate change. Human activities have raised the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide by 50% in less than 200 years. Simple things like riding a bike, saving energy at home, and planting trees can make a difference; and we're going to need it, if we continue our trajectory towards destruction.