A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that records have been broken again, for greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, heat and ocean acidification, sea level rise and glacier retreat.
Heat waves, floods, droughts and forest fires have disrupted the daily lives of millions of people around the world and caused economic losses worth billions of dollars.
The WMO report confirms that 2023 was the hottest year on record, with the average near-surface temperature at 1.45 degrees Celsius (with an uncertainty margin of ±0. 12°C) compared to the pre-industrial reference period. This is the hottest ten-year period on record.
“We have never been closer, albeit temporarily for now, to the lower limit of 1.5°C set by the Paris Agreement on climate change“, said Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General. “WMO community sounds the alarm to the world“.
“Climate change is not just about temperatures. Of particular concern is what we have seen in 2023, including unprecedented ocean warming and glacier retreat in Antarctica.“, she added.
On an average day in 2023, nearly a third of the global ocean was hit by a marine heatwave that damaged vital ecosystems and food systems. By the end of 2023, more than 90% of the ocean had experienced heatwave conditions at some point during the year.
According to preliminary data, all reference glaciers have suffered the most significant ice loss ever recorded (since 1950), driven by extreme melting in western North America and Europe. .
Antarctic sea ice extent was by far the lowest on record, with the peak extent at the end of winter being 1 million km2 less than the previous record year, the equivalent of the size of France and Germany combined.
“The climate crisis is the major challenge facing humanity and is closely linked to the inequality crisis, as evidenced by growing food insecurity, population displacement and loss of biodiversity“, said Celeste Saulo.
The number of people experiencing acute food insecurity worldwide has more than doubled, from 149 million people before the COVID-19 pandemic to 333 million people in 2023 (across 78 countries monitored by the World Food Program) .
According to the report, extreme weather and climate events may not be the primary cause, but they are aggravating factors.
Weather hazards have, in fact, caused displacement in 2023, showing how climate shocks undermine resilience and create new risks among the most vulnerable populations.