2023 breaks records in temperature, melting ice, food insecurity, more: Report
In its report, the World Meteorological Organisation has issued a red alert, calling for urgent action to mitigate the dangers of rapid climate change.
The year 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global average near-surface temperature at 1.45 degrees Celsius (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.12 degrees Celsius) above the preindustrial baseline, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) report said.
According to the report, the reasons behind the increase in global temperature were the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the shift from La Niña to El Niño conditions in the middle of 2023.
“Never have we been so close—albeit on a temporary basis at the moment—to the 1.5 degrees Celsius lower limit of the Paris Agreement on climate change,” said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of WMO, adding, “The WMO community is sounding the Red Alert to the world.”
Additionally, the rise in greenhouse gases, ocean heat and acidification, sea level, heatwaves, floods, and wildfires further caused mayhem.
“Sirens are blaring across all major indicators... Some records aren’t just chart-topping, they’re chart-busting. And changes are speeding up,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
The report showed that the concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—continue to increase in 2023, with CO2 levels 50% higher than in the pre-industrial era.
The global average sea-surface temperatures and the global mean sea level were at a record high, the report said. It added that the ocean heat content reached its highest level last year, with an average of 32% of the global ocean experiencing heat waves every day.
While the Antarctic sea ice extent hit record lows in February 2023, Greenland's ice sheet saw significant melting in its warmest summer. The report added that the "global set of reference glaciers" suffered the largest loss of ice on record driven by extreme melting in Europe and western North America.
“Climate change is about much more than temperatures. What we witnessed in 2023, especially with the unprecedented ocean warmth, glacier retreat, and Antarctic sea ice loss, is cause for particular concern,” Saulo said.
Impact
The climate crisis is a “defining challenge” that humanity faces, Saulo said, adding, “It is closely intertwined with the inequality crisis—as witnessed by growing food insecurity and population displacement and biodiversity loss.”
As per the report, the number of people facing acute food insecurity worldwide doubled from 149 million before the COVID-19 pandemic to 333 million people in 2023. Adding to this issue were extreme weather, conflicts, and economic challenges. Further, high food prices, exacerbated by costly agricultural inputs, worsened global food insecurity.
Mitigating the impact
According to the report, the WMO suggests having effective multi-hazard early warning systems to reduce the impact of disasters. The Early Warnings for All initiative aims to ensure increased access to early warning systems by 2027, WMO said in the report.
Further, the development and implementation of local disaster risk reduction strategies have also increased following the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, it stated.
On the brighter side, the report highlighted that in 2023, renewable capacity additions increased by almost 50% from 2022 for a total of 510 gigawatts (GW)—the highest rate observed in the past two decades.
Although climate financing in 2021-2022 reached almost $1.3 trillion, there is a gap between the current level of climate finance and what is needed to achieve climate goals, the report highlighted.
Annual climate finance investments need to increase by over six times, reaching nearly $9 trillion by 2030 and a further $10 trillion by 2050 to stay on track for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In light of these climate changes, the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial to be held on March 21-22, this year, will focus on speeding up climate action by improving countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts) before the deadline in February 2025.
Moreover, the leaders plan to form an agreement on financing at COP29 to turn national plans into action.
"Climate Action is currently being hampered by a lack of capacity to deliver and use climate services to inform national mitigation and adaptation plans, especially in developing countries. We need to increase support for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to be able to provide information services to ensure the next generation of Nationally Determined Contributions are based on science," Saulo added.
Edited by Suman Singh