Why Has Global Warming Just Spiked?

Climate scientists weren't expecting 2023. The planet's temperature is increasing thanks to that whole burning fossil fuels thing. But 2023 was different: Temperatures lurched upwards. And 2024 was even hotter, passing the crucial 1.5 degree global warming limit. Now, scientists are trying to work out what's driven this climate spike - and work out whether it's just a bump in the road, or a sign that our planet's engine might have become turbo charged... Follow Gavin on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/climateofgavin.bsky.social And read his blog here: https://www.realclimate.org/ CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro 1:04 Normal heating 2:15 Predictions... failed 4:44 Huge impacts 5:13 What type of spike? 7:05 Possibilities? 9:06 Missing piece 10:46 Support! 11:14 Answers... when? 12:41 What do we do?! Support ClimateAdam on patreon: http://patreon.com/climateadam #ClimateChange bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/climateadam.bsky.social instagram: http://instagram.com/climate_adam ==WATCH MORE== 1.5 degrees dead? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWLWOMeLXr8 Stop emitting… then what? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Gol-EK1uE ==READ MORE== Useful discussion of various possibilities: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-04242-z A new, new normal https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-025-00996-z - easy summary here: https://www.permalogica.com/post/global-and-regional-drivers-for-exceptional-climate-extremes-in-2023-2024-beyond-the-new-normal Quantifying factors for 2023 & 2024 https://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2025/03/wmo-update-on-2023-4-anomalies/ Sea surface temperatures could be a blip: https://bsky.app/profile/polarocean.bsky.social/post/3lk6xxs5dm22q Natural variability still possible: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2479501-record-heat-in-2023-and-2024-may-just-have-been-natural-variability/ Acceleration remains unclear https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01711-1 https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/153588/charting-the-exceptional-unexpected-heat-of-2023-and-2024 https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-12-06/clouds-climate-change-warming-planetary-albedo/104680446?utm_source=cbnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2024-12-06&utm_campaign=Daily+Briefing+06+12+2024 https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/12/06/global-warming-temperature-record-2024/ https://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2024/05/new-journal-nature-2023/ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2025/01/climate-models-earth/681207/?gift=1wJJOWpbGcy0FRPza_6RtAaI62dBr6Kc3I9qjJdMlvo&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-04242-z https://grist.org/oceans/why-earth-oceans-record-hot-streak/ ==THANKS== Car scenes filmed by Tamara Beyrouti CO2, ship tracks and heating visuals from Nasa Power plant demolition from Phil MacDonald Sun visual from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center