Climate Now debate: 2023 is set to be the hottest year on record, so why aren’t we taking action?

This year looks set to be the world’s hottest on record, according to weather predictions. It comes after a blistering summer with heatwaves sweeping across Europe.

Climate scientists have confirmed that the summer of 2023 broke temperature records by a considerable margin worldwide. Temperatures have been exacerbated in part by the arrival of El Niño; a naturally-occurring warming phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean.

Unless late autumn and early winter this year prove to be extremely cold, 2023 will overtake 2016 as the hottest year on record.

The situation is particularly perilous in Europe, which is warming faster than most parts of the world due to its high level of landmass and proximity to the rapidly heating Arctic. In September the Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that Europe was over 2.5C above the 1991-2020 average.

The continent’s average temperature this summer was 19.63C to 0.83C above average — making it the fifth warmest for the summer season.

Euronews will bring together a panel of experts for a Climate Now live debate, talking about this year’s extraordinary climate data and asking what action needs to be taken.

You can watch the debate live and on replay in this article on Thursday, October 19 at 14:00 CEST.

We'll delve into the details of how our planet is warming, explore the psychology of climate change adaptation, and hear examples of how to live in extreme temperatures.

Temperatures in 2023 have been breaking records around the world with disastrous consequences.

Heat-related deaths are on the rise. Germany has seen over 3,000 deaths so far this year due to the high temperatures. France recorded 400 excess deaths during its August heatwave compared to previous years without high temperatures,