(Geneva) There is a “high probability” that 2024 will in turn display unprecedented temperatures, while the past year concludes a decade of record heat, pushing the planet “to the brink of the abyss”, the UN has warned Tuesday.
“2023 set new records for every indicator,” said World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, presenting the climate report.
The list of records broken or “shattered” is long, ranging from greenhouse gas levels to surface temperatures through heat content (energy absorbed and stored) and ocean acidification, the rise of sea level or the extent of the Antarctic ice shelf and the retreat of glaciers.
The report confirms that 2023 was the hottest year on record, with an average global surface temperature 1.45°C above the pre-industrial baseline. The decade (2014-2023) will also have been the warmest ever observed, exceeding the 1850 –1900 average by 1.20°C.
“There is a high probability that 2024 will break the 2023 record,” said Omar Baddour, head of the WMO climate watch service.
The long-term rise in global temperature is due to the increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The arrival of the El Niño phenomenon in mid-2023 has contributed to the rapid rise in temperatures.
“El Niño is weakening, but it’s still here. For the next three months, we expect above-normal temperatures across most of the world,” Ms.me Saulo.
” Red alert ”
The planet is “on the brink of collapse”, warned UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a video message, denouncing the “unprecedented climate chaos” caused by pollution by fossil fuels.
“The climate crisis is THE defining challenge facing humanity,” added M.me Saulo.
PHOTO ALFREDO ESTRELLA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Completely dry Lake Zumpango, Mexico.
Heat waves, floods, droughts and uncontrolled fires are sowing “misery and chaos”, disrupting the daily lives of millions of people and inflicting billions of dollars in economic losses, warns the WMO.
“We are on red alert,” said Mme Saulo. “We have never been so close – albeit temporarily for now – to the lower limit of 1.5°C set in the Paris climate change agreement.”
“The serious consequences of climate change do not mean the inevitable collapse of civilization. It all depends on how people and governments change their behavior or not,” responded Jeffrey Kargel, of the Planetary Research Institute in Arizona.
“Our only response must be to stop burning fossil fuels in order to limit the damage,” noted Martin Siegert, glaciologist and professor of geoscience.
Oceans and glaciers
By the end of 2023, more than 90% of the world’s oceans had experienced heat waves during the year, according to the WMO. The increase in their frequency and intensity has profound impacts on marine ecosystems and coral reefs.
Furthermore, the average sea level on a global scale reached a record in 2023, which reflects the continued warming of the oceans as well as the melting of glaciers and ice sheets.
A worrying sign is that the rate of rise of this average level over the last decade is more than twice that of the decade 1993-2002.
Landmark glaciers across the planet have suffered the most significant retreat on record since 1950, according to preliminary data.
Over the last two years, Swiss glaciers have lost around 10% of their residual volume, while the extent of sea ice in the Antarctic has been “by far” the lowest ever recorded.
There is, however, “a glimmer of hope”, according to the WMO, reporting the increase of almost 50% year-on-year in renewable energy production capacities, the highest rate observed in the last two decades .
In this regard, noted Mme Saulo, “investing in Africa’s energy transition could benefit not only Africa, but the entire world. So in my opinion, we have a solution there.”