There is almost a 50% chance in 2023 that it will be the hottest year on record, and in 2024 it will be even worsepredicted today American scientists, heads of government services.

For now, in 2023 it is the third warmest year ever recorded, said Sarah Kapnick, chief scientist of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). And the chance that 2023 will be the warmest is “close to 50%”, he added.

In addition to global warming, El Niño contributes to this trend by warming the surface of the oceans. And it is expected to last beyond the coming winter, experts predict.

“The strongest effect of El Niño will occur in 2024”, said Gavin Schmidt, a climatologist at NASA. “Therefore we expect that not only will 2023 be exceptionally warm and perhaps a record year, but that 2024 will be even warmer.”

The two scientists spoke at a news conference on the topic of analyzing the global temperatures recorded last month, which NOAA confirmed was a record month.

July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, Europe’s Copernicus agency announced last week.

“It’s important to remember that these years will be cool compared to the middle of the century, if we continue to warm our planet by emitting greenhouse gases,” emphasized Sarah Kapnick.

The ocean surface temperature is of particular concern to scientists: for the fourth month in a row, the temperature reached a record high, according to NOAA. “More than 40% of the oceans are experiencing a heat wave today,” Sarah Kapnick warned.

These temperatures have potentially devastating effects on the species that live there, mainly in corals.

“Mother Nature is sending us a message, and that message is: we’d better act now, before it’s too late to save our climate, and in other words, save our planet,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, recalling “We’re all in the same boat.”