Breaking Records and Raising Concerns: 2023 Heralds the Hottest Year Ever, With 2024 Forecasted to be Hotter
In a stark announcement, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declares 2023 as the hottest year on record, sounding the alarm on unprecedented global temperatures. Environmental geographer Thomas Smith from the London School of Economics emphasizes the gravity, stating, "I'm not aware of a similar period when all parts of the climate system were in record-breaking or abnormal territory."
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas underscores the urgency, stating, "We risk losing the race to save our glaciers and to rein in sea level rise. We cannot return to the climate of the 20th century, but we must act now to limit the risks of an increasingly inhospitable climate in this and the coming centuries."
El Niño's emergence in the Northern Hemisphere during the spring of 2023 is attributed to the record average temperatures, with the WMO warning that its impact will fuel above-average global temperatures into 2024. This natural phenomenon exacerbates the ongoing trend of warming caused by anthropogenic climate change.
Record temperatures wreaked havoc on the Mediterranean basin, affecting global olive oil production. Italy, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria experienced extreme temperatures, with torrential rainfall causing flooding and damage to olive groves in Greece, Turkey, and Libya.
The WMO report points to a dire scenario for 2024/25 olive oil production, as melting glaciers in the European Alps pose a threat to water sources crucial for growers. As the 28th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) begins, the report's release amplifies the call for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urges global leaders, saying, "Record global heat should send shivers down the spines of world leaders. We have the roadmap to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 °C and avoid the worst of climate chaos. But we need leaders to fire the starting gun at COP28 on a race to keep the 1.5‑degree limit alive."
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