2023 will be the warmest year since weather records began
Even if final confirmation is still pending, it is almost certain that no year has ever been as warm as 2023, according to the UN's climate status report. If the trend continues unabated, even the 2-degree target for global warming will remain illusory.
According to the UN, 2023 will most likely be the hottest year since records began. According to the preliminary climate status report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the global average temperature was already around 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of October. The difference to the previous record years of 2016 and 2020 is already so great that the months of November and December will not change the global heat record.
In order to avert climate change with catastrophic consequences, the global community agreed in 2015 in the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to well below two degrees, but preferably to 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial era. According to a current UN forecast, however, the Earth is currently heading towards a dangerous warming of 2.5 to 2.9 degrees by 2100 due to further increases in greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the WMO, which will present its final climate status report for 2023 at the beginning of 2024, the past nine years have been the nine warmest since records began. The year 2023 alone has already broken a whole series of climate records, the WMO explained. The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, global temperatures and sea level rise have reached new highs, said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. Antarctic sea ice had in turn fallen to an all-time low.
This development is "more than just statistics", said Taalas. "We risk losing the race to save our glaciers and stem the rise in sea levels." Extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall have also left "a trail of devastation and despair" on the planet this year.
A return to the climate of the 20th century is no longer possible, said Taalas, who called on the delegates at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai to take immediate action for more climate protection. "We must act now to limit the risks of an increasingly inhospitable climate in this century and in the centuries to come."
According to climate researchers, the El Niño weather phenomenon, which has been ongoing since the summer, is also contributing to the current record temperatures. According to WMO forecasts, it is "likely to further increase global temperatures" in 2024.
- To mitigate the impacts of climate change, including heatwaves and droughts, the United Nations encourages countries to reduce their CO2 emissions and adhere to the agreements made at climate conferences, such as the Paris Climate Agreement.
- The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai is an essential platform for discussing strategies to combat climate change and limit the Earth's warming, currently projected to exceed the 2-degree target by 2.5 to 2.9 degrees by 2100.
- The UN's climate status report highlights the impacts of climate change, such as the record-breaking heatwave in 2023, which has already surpassed previous warmest years and is considered a significant cause for concern, especially in relation to ongoing extreme weather events like heatwaves and droughts.
Source: www.ntv.de
