2023 is UK’s second warmest year on record after 2022, provisional Met Office figures suggest

Last year was the second warmest on record for the UK since records began, according to provisional figures from the Met Office. The hottest was 2022.

The Met Office is also predicting that 2024 could see the average global temperature reach a new record of 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels. That’s the crucial warming threshold outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement – above which the world is at increased risk of more severe climate change effects.

Professor Richard Betts is the head of climate impacts at the Met Office, Ayshah started by asking him how significant this is.