Information from World Meteorological Organization
Record Levels of Climate Change in 2023
A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that in 2023, "records were once again broken, and in some cases smashed, for greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, ocean heat and acidification, sea level rise, Antarctic sea ice cover and glacier retreat." A March 19 press release from the WMO states that, according to the WMO State of the Global Climate 2023 report:
"Heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones caused misery and mayhem, upending every-day life for millions and inflicting many billions of dollars in economic losses."
The WMO report confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global average near-surface temperature at 1.45 Celsius (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.12 °C) above the pre-industrial baseline. It was the warmest ten-year period on record.
"Never have we been so close -- albeit on a temporary basis at the moment -- to the 1.5 °C lower limit of the Paris Agreement on climate change," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. "The WMO community is sounding the Red Alert to the world."
While saying that "Climate change is about much more than temperatures," the power relations all over the word and aim of the imperialists to do everything within the context of making the rich richer is not raised. "What we witnessed in 2023, especially with the unprecedented ocean warmth, glacier retreat and Antarctic sea ice loss, is cause for particular concern," Celeste Saulo said. "The climate crisis is THE defining challenge that humanity faces and is closely intertwined with the inequality crisis -- as witnessed by growing food insecurity and population displacement, and biodiversity loss," Saulo added.
"Weather and climate extremes may not be the root cause [of food insecurity], but they are aggravating factors," says the WMO report. The WMO informs that the number of people who are acutely food insecure worldwide has more than doubled, from 149 million people before the COVID-19 pandemic to 333 million people in 2023 (in 78 countries monitored by the World Food Program).
Despite its dire warnings, readers should remain cognizant that the WMO report describes the alarming situation but its viewpoint fails to implicate the worldwide problem of the usurpation of the state power in many countries by narrow supranational private interests whose only purpose is making private profits as well as the greatest polluters, the U.S. military, and its aggressive military alliance NATO, that includes Canada, in creating and exacerbating the climate crisis. The activities of the U.S. and the Pentagon and all of the greenhouse gases they produce and the destruction of the natural and social environment that they are responsible for must be included when it comes to assessing the causes and therefore solutions to climate change.
The billions of dollars spent on war production would go a
long way
toward alleviating the effects of the climate crisis and
shielding its
victims all over the world.
Below are some of the effects of climate change as reported on by the WMO in its State of the Global Climate 2023, with additional explanations from other organizations.
Greenhouse Gases
The WMO informs that observed concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases -- carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide -- reached record levels in 2022. Real-time data from specific locations show a continued increase in 2023.
"CO2 levels are 50 per cent higher than the pre-industrial era, trapping heat in the atmosphere. The long lifetime of CO2 means that temperatures will continue to rise for many years to come," states the WMO.
A related effect is that ocean acidification has increased significantly as a result of absorbing carbon dioxide. This in turn has a direct negative effect on many forms of ocean life that may not be able to adapt to the rapid increase in ocean acidity.
Rising Temperatures
The WMO writes, "The global mean near-surface temperature in 2023 was 1.45±0.12 °C above the pre-industrial 1850-1900 average. 2023 was the warmest year in the 174-year observational record. This shattered the record of the previous warmest years, 2016 at 1.29 ± 0.12°C above the 1850-1900 average and 2020 at 1.27±0.13°C.
"The ten-year average 2014-2023 global temperature is 1.20±0.12°C above the 1850-1900 average.
"Globally, every month from June to December was record warm for the respective month. September 2023 was particularly noteworthy, surpassing the previous global record for September by a wide margin (0.46 to 0.54 °C).
"The long-term increase in global temperature is due to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The shift from La Niña to El Niño conditions in the middle of 2023 contributed to the rapid rise in temperature from 2022 to 2023." The shift referred to is a recurring climate pattern across the tropical Pacific that affects weather and climate around the world.
"Global average sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) were at a record high from April onwards, with the records in July, August and September broken by a particularly wide margin. Exceptional warmth was recorded in the eastern North Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, the North Pacific and large areas of the Southern Ocean, with widespread marine heatwaves."
Rising Ocean Temperatures
Regarding temperatures within the oceans, the WMO report points out that on an average day in 2023, "nearly one-third of the global ocean was gripped by a marine heatwave, harming vital ecosystems and food systems. Towards the end of 2023, over 90 per cent of the ocean had experienced heatwave conditions at some point during the year."
The UN points out, "As the excessive heat and energy warms the ocean, the change in temperature leads to unparalleled cascading effects, including ice-melting, sea-level rise, marine heatwaves, and ocean acidification.
"These changes ultimately cause a lasting impact on marine biodiversity, and the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities and beyond -- including around 680 million people living in low-lying coastal areas, almost 2 billion who live in half of the world's megacities that are coastal, nearly half of the world's population (3.3 billion) that depends on fish for protein, and almost 60 million people who work in fisheries and the aquaculture sector worldwide."
Loss of Glaciers and Sea Ice
In terms of glacial retreat the WMO says that in 2023, "The global set of reference glaciers suffered the largest loss of ice on record (since 1950), driven by extreme melt in both western North America and Europe, according to preliminary data.
The WMO also points out that Antarctic sea ice extent was by far the lowest on record, with the maximum extent at the end of winter at 1 million square kilometres below the previous record year -- a loss equivalent to the size of France and Germany combined.
Loss of glaciers and sea ice has various effects. Ice reflects sunlight back into space and keeps global temperatures lower. The U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center explains, "Arctic sea ice acts like the planet's air conditioner. Its bright, white surface reflects sunlight back into space. In other words, sea ice does not absorb much solar energy, keeping temperatures relatively cool in the Arctic. However, as more sea ice retreats throughout the year, the darker open oceans absorb more solar energy, raising temperatures and setting off a cycle of warming and further melting. Even a small increase in temperature can lead to greater warming over time, making the polar regions the most sensitive areas to climate change on Earth. The Arctic, for instance, is warming at two to three times the rate of the rest of the planet. At the other pole, the Antarctic Peninsula is not far behind in terms of rate of warming."
Rising atmospheric temperatures, loss of sea ice and rising sea levels are part of a positive feedback loop.
Extreme Weather and Climate Events
The WMO writes, "Extreme weather and climate events had major socio-economic impacts on all inhabited continents. These included major floods, tropical cyclones, extreme heat and drought, and associated wildfires.
"Flooding linked to extreme rainfall from Mediterranean Cyclone Daniel affected Greece, Bulgaria, Türkiye, and Libya with particularly heavy loss of life in Libya in September.
"Tropical Cyclone Freddy in February and March was one of the world's longest-lived tropical cyclones with major impacts on Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi.
"Tropical Cyclone Mocha, in May, was one of the most intense cyclones ever observed in the Bay of Bengal and triggered 1.7 million displacements across the sub-region from Sri Lanka to Myanmar and through India and Bangladesh, and worsened acute food insecurity.
"Hurricane Otis intensified to a maximum Category 5 system in a matter of hours -- one of the most rapid intensification rates in the satellite era. It hit the Mexican coastal resort of Acapulco on October 24, causing economic losses estimated at around U.S.$15 billion, and killing at least 47 people.
"Extreme heat affected many parts of the world. Some of the most significant were in southern Europe and North Africa, especially in the second half of July. Temperatures in Italy reached 48.2 °C, and record-high temperatures were reported in Tunis (Tunisia) 49.0 °C, Agadir (Morocco) 50.4 °C and Algiers (Algeria) 49.2 °C.
"Canada's wildfire season was the worst on record. The total area burned nationally for the year was 14.9 million hectares, more than seven times the long-term average. The fires also led to severe smoke pollution, particularly in the heavily populated areas of eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States. The deadliest single wildfire of the year was in Hawaii, with at least 100 deaths reported -- the deadliest wildfire in the USA for more than 100 years -- and estimated economic losses of U.S.$5.6 billion.
"The Greater Horn of Africa region, which had been experiencing long-term drought, suffered substantial flooding in 2023, particularly later in the year. The flooding displaced 1.8 million people across Ethiopia, Burundi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia and Kenya in addition to the 3 million people displaced internally or across borders by the five consecutive seasons of drought in Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, and Somalia.
"Long-term drought persisted in north-western Africa and parts of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as parts of central and southwest Asia. It intensified in many parts of Central America and South America. In northern Argentina and Uruguay, rainfall from January to August was 20 to 50 per cent below average, leading to crop losses and low water storage levels."
Socioeconomic Impacts
The WMO writes, "Weather and climate hazards exacerbated challenges with food security, population displacements and impacts on vulnerable populations. They continued to trigger new, prolonged, and secondary displacement and increased the vulnerability of many who were already uprooted by complex multi-causal situations of conflict and violence."
It highlights the serious issue of food insecurity, citing "figures that the number of people who are acutely food insecure worldwide has more than doubled, from 149 million people before the COVID-19 pandemic to 333 million people in 2023 (in 78 monitored countries by the World Food Programme (WFP)). WFP global hunger levels remained unchanged from 2021 to 2022. However, these are still far above pre-COVID 19 pandemic levels: in 2022, 9.2 per cent of the global population (735.1 million people) were undernourished. Protracted conflicts, economic downturns, and high food prices, further exacerbated by high costs of agricultural inputs driven by ongoing and widespread conflict around the world, are at the root of high global food insecurity levels. This is aggravated by the effects of climate and weather extremes. In southern Africa, for example, the passage of Cyclone Freddy in February 2023 affected Madagascar, Mozambique, southern Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Flooding submerged extensive agricultural areas and inflicted severe damage on crops and the economy."
This article was published in
Volume 54
Number 27 - April 20 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54278.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca