The United Nations has stated that 2023 is poised to become the hottest year ever recorded by the World Meteorological Organisation, WMO.
This provisional WMO which was released on Thursday 29th November 2023, highlighted extreme weather causing devastation and urged immediate action against global warming.
The report tagged, State of the Global Climate, released ahead of the UN COP28 climate conference in Dubai, revealed record-breaking temperatures, emphasizing the urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
On his part, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the severity of these findings, urging leaders to take decisive action.
According to the report, despite efforts outlined in the 2015 Paris Climate Accords to limit warming to under 2 degrees Celsius 2023 had already exceeded 1.4C above pre-industrial levels by October.
The WMO is set to publish the final report in the first half of 2024, emphasizing that the data from Accordingst ten months already indicates an unprecedented heat anomaly, unlikely to change in the remaining two months.
Additionally, the report warned about the impact of the El Nino weather pattern, which could further exacerbate heat in 2024.
The WMO also highlighted record-high concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in 2022, continuing to rise in 2023. The levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide were at alarming highs, suggesting a prolonged period of temperature increase even if emissions are significantly reduced.
Story:Ihuoma Ukeje