2023 is the Hottest Year on record : Urgent climate action needed
2023 is the Hottest Year on record : Urgent climate action needed
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has officially declared 2023 as the hottest year on record, marking a substantial deviation from global temperature norms. This announcement comes as global temperatures in every month from June to December set new monthly records, with July and August standing out as the hottest months ever recorded.
The yearly average global temperature surged close to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a critical threshold set by the Paris Agreement to curb long-term temperature increases.
Strictly adhering to the WMO’s findings, the annual average global temperature in 2023 was 1.45 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels. Consolidating data from six leading datasets used for monitoring global temperatures, including NASA, NOAA, and agencies in the UK, Europe, and Japan, all concurred that 2023 was unequivocally the warmest year on record.
Climate change, described by WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo as the ‘biggest challenge humanity faces’ is impacting vulnerable communities. Urgent and drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions coupled with a swift transition to renewable energy sources, are deemed imperative.
The temperature rise observed globally reflects a mid-2023 shift from cooling effects induced by the climate driver La Nina to the warming effects of El Nino. WMO Secretary-General Saulo warned that 2024 could potentially be even hotter given El Nino’s historical impact on global temperatures.
While El Nino events are natural occurrences, the broader trend of long-term climate change is intensifying due to human activities. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stressed that the climate crisis exacerbates inequality and affects various facets of sustainable development.
Since the 1980s, each passing decade has witnessed a progressive warming trend, resulting in daily weather expressions of extreme heat, health impacts, devastating wildfires, intense rainfall, floods and more. The UN Secretary-General underscored the urgency of immediate action, stating that 2023 is a ‘mere preview of the catastrophic future’ if global efforts do not intensify.
The WMO plans to release its final state of the Global Climate 2023 report in March 2024, providing comprehensive insights into socioeconomic impacts, displacement, and health. The provisional report issued in November 2023 indicated that records across the board had been broken, emphasizing the critical need for swift and ambitious climate action.
