The data show that 1.40ºC warmer than the average for the pre-industrial era (1850-1900), and although doubts persist about whether it is a natural phenomenon or the excessive use of fossil fuels, the truth is that, summer, especially , it’s hotter than before.
And faced with this dilemma, the proposed solutions collide: human beings need energy sources to be able to carry out many of the activities they carry out, from cooling their homes to being able to travel by means of transportation.
In the industrial sector, the use of energy ranges from segments that have been inherent to human evolution, such as agriculture, to modern factories that mass produce all kinds of technology, automotive or consumer devices in general.
Report
The WMO notes that the El Niño climate phenomenon, related to the warming of the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean, which resurfaced during the spring and developed in the summer, is likely to further fuel the heat in 2024, as this phenomenon usually has the greatest impact on global temperatures after peaking.
“Greenhouse gas levels are record high. Global temperatures are record high. Sea level rise is record high. Antarctic sea ice is at its lowest level. “It is a deafening cacophony of broken records,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.
“They are more than just statistics. We risk losing the battle to save glaciers and stop sea level rise. We cannot have the last century again, but we must act now to limit the risks of an increasingly inhospitable climate,” she stated.
Summer
The months of June, July, August, September and October 2023 each surpassed the previous record for the respective month in all data sets used by the WMO for climate reporting.
July is typically the warmest month of the year globally, and therefore July 2023 became the warmest month ever recorded.
Gases
Observed concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) reached record levels in 2022, the last year for which consolidated global values are available.
Real-time data from specific locations shows that levels of the three most closely tracked greenhouse gases continued to rise in 2023.
Sea level
In 2023, global mean sea level reached a record level recorded by satellite (since 1993), reflecting the continued warming of the oceans, as well as the melting of glaciers and ice sheets.
The report highlights that the rate of global average sea level rise in the last 10 years (2013-2022) is more than double the rate of sea level rise in the first decade of the satellite record (1993-2002).
Ice
Glaciers in western North America, the European Alps and South America experienced a season of worrying melting.
The extent of sea ice in Antarctica reached an absolute record low for the satellite era (1979 to the present) in February. Beginning in June, ice extent reached its lowest level for the time of year.
The annual maximum in September was 16.96 million km2, approximately one million km2 below the previous record high in 1986.
For its part, the extent of sea ice in the Arctic remained well below normal. The fifth and sixth lowest annual sea ice extents ever recorded, respectively.
Phenomena
Strong weather and climate events have had significant repercussions on all inhabited continents (floods, tropical cyclones, extreme heat and drought, and associated forest fires).
Flooding associated with extreme rainfall caused by Mediterranean Cyclone Daniel affected Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and Libya, with particularly heavy loss of life in Libya in September.
Temperatures in Italy reached 48.2°C, with record temperatures recorded in Tunis (Tunisia) at 49.0°C, Agadir (Morocco) at 50.4°C and Algiers (Algeria) at 49.2°C .
Fires
Canada’s wildfire season has far surpassed any previously recorded figure. The total area burned exceeded 18 million hectares, more than six times the 10-year average (2013-2022). The fires also caused severe smoke pollution, especially in densely populated areas of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
The deadliest wildfire of the year was in Hawaii, with at least 99 deaths – the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than 100 years.
Droughts
Five consecutive seasons of drought in the Greater Horn of Africa were followed by floods that caused even more displacement. The drought reduced the soil’s ability to absorb water, increasing the risk of flooding when the rains came in April and May.
Long-lasting drought intensified in many parts of Central and South America. In northern Argentina and Uruguay, rainfall from January to August was 20 to 50% below average, leading to crop losses and low levels of water storage.
Economy
The WMO notes that “weather and climate hazards exacerbated challenges related to food security, population displacements and impacts on vulnerable populations.” All of this contributed to new displacements and increased the vulnerability of many people who were already uprooted by complex and multi-causal situations of conflict and violence.
