COP28: 2023 Set To Be Warmest Year On Record, Death And Devastation Caused By Extreme Weather, Says WMO Report

This year, greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise, record low Antarctic sea ice was observed, there was a record sea level rise, and sea surface temperatures reached record high levels.

The year 2023 is set to be the warmest on record, and witnessed extreme weather events which resulted in death and devastation, according to the report. The nine-year period from 2015 to 2023 is also the warmest on record. ( Image Source :Getty/ABP Live )

COP28: As the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or the 28th edition of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) began in Dubai on November 30, 2023, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a report on the provisional state of global climate this year. The year 2023 is set to be the warmest on record, and witnessed extreme weather events which resulted in death and devastation, according to the report. The nine-year period from 2015 to 2023 is also the warmest on record.

This year, greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise, record low Antarctic sea ice was observed, there was a record sea level rise, and sea surface temperatures reached record high levels, among other records. 

2023 set to be hottest year on record

The global temperature till October 2023 was about 1.4 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial 1850-1900 baseline. Previously, 2016 and 2020 were ranked as the warmest years, but the difference between 2023 and 2016 and 2020 is such that the final two months are unlikely to affect the ranking. 

The year 2024 is also likely to be extremely hot due to the El Niño event, which began in the Northern Hemisphere in spring this year, and developed rapidly through summer. The reason why 2024 could be hotter is that El Niño mostly shows its greatest impact on global temperatures after it peaks.

In a WMO statement, Professor Petteri Taalas, the Secretary-General of the UN organisation, said greenhouse gas levels are record high, global temperatures are record high, sea level rise is record high, Antarctic sea is record low, and that all this is a "deafening cacophony" of broken records. 

He also said that the world is losing the race to save the glaciers and to rein in sea level rise, and while it is not possible to return to the 20th century, the world must act now to limit the risks of an increasingly inhospitable climate in this century, and the coming centuries. 

Professor Taalas explained that extreme weather is destroying lives and livelihood on a daily basis, which makes it important to ensure that everyone is protected by early warning services. 

Rising greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere

Since carbon dioxide levels are about 50 per cent higher than the pre-industrial levels, more heat is trapped in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide has a long lifetime, implying that temperatures will keep rising for several years.

Antartic sea-ice extent reaches record low level

Continued ocean warming and melting of glaciers and ice sheets have caused the rate of sea level rise from 2013 to 2022 to become more than twice the rate of sea level rise from 1993 to 2002, the first decade of satellite record. 

This year, the maximum Antarctic sea-ice extent was the lowest on record. It was one million square kilometres less than the previous record low, at the end of the southern hemisphere winter. 

The WMO report also said that in the past two years, Swiss glaciers have lost about 10 per cent of their remaining volume. 

In the statement, UN Secretary-General Antònio Guterres said that this year, communities around the world witnessed wildfires, floods, and searing temperatures, and record global heat should send "shivers down the spines" of world leaders. 

He also said that the roadmap to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and avoid the worst of climate chaos is there, but leaders must fire the starting gun at COP28 on a race to keep the 1.5 degree limit alive. He emphasised that leaders should set clear expectations for the next round of climate action plans and commit to partnerships and finance to make the plans possible. 

According to Guterres, leaders should commit to triple renewables and double energy efficiency, and commit to phase out fossil fuels in order to keep the 1.5 degree limit alive. 

In 2022, renewable energy capacity, led by solar and win energies, increased by about 10 per cent. 

Extreme weather events in 2023

Some of the extreme weather and climate events that had devastating impacts on life in 2023 included floods, extreme heat and drought, tropical cyclones, and wildfires.

Extreme rainfall due to the Mediterranean Cyclone Daniel resulted in intense floods in Greece, Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Libya, which was affected the most. 

Tropical Cyclone Freddy was one of the longest-lived tropical cyclones. It intensified in February and March, and impacted Madagascar, Mozambique, and Malawi. 

Tropical Cyclone Mocha was one of the most intense cyclones ever observed in the Bay of Bengal. 

Southern Europe and North Africa were the regions most affected by extreme heat, especially in the second half of July. 

Canada witnessed its worst wildfire ever. On October 15, 2023, 18?5 million hectares of land were burnt due to wildfires. 

The Greater Horn of Africa witnessed five consecutive seasons of drought, followed by floods. 

Central America and South America also experienced long-term droughts. 

Due to these extreme weather events, food security has been jeopardised, populations are displaced, and vulnerable populations are affected the most.