2023 State of the Climate Report

October 27, 2023

This year has witnessed an alarming increase in the number of days with global mean temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius. According to the ‘2023 State of the Climate Report: Entering Uncharted Territory,’ published in the BioScience journal, the year 2023 has seen 38 days with global mean temperatures above this critical threshold. The report warns that if current trends continue, one-third to half of the global population could find itself living in regions considered ‘beyond livable.’

Planetary Vital Signs in Crisis

The report highlights a dire situation as 20 out of 35 planetary vital signs used to monitor climate crises are at their worst in human history. These indicators encompass various aspects of environmental health, including biodiversity, temperature, and ecosystem integrity.

Unprecedented Warmth and Extreme Events

The year 2023 has witnessed record-breaking warmth, with June, July, and August marking the warmest period ever recorded. In early July, the Earth experienced its highest global daily average surface temperature, potentially the warmest in the last 100,000 years. The report underscores the shocking margins by which 2023 conditions exceed past extremes.

Implications for Human Well-being

If the current trajectory persists, an estimated 3-6 billion people could face severe heat, reduced food availability, and increased mortality rates due to climate change-related impacts. The consequences include unbearable heat, frequent extreme weather events, food and water shortages, rising sea levels, emerging diseases, social unrest, and geopolitical conflict.

Multiple Factors at Play

The report acknowledges that anthropogenic global heating, along with various environmental factors, contributes significantly to recent weather extremes. Rising Atlantic Ocean temperatures and the release of greenhouse gases like water vapor into the stratosphere are among the driving factors. Changes in maritime fuel regulations have also influenced climate patterns.

Urgent Policy Recommendations

In response to these alarming findings, the report calls for immediate policy actions, beginning with addressing economic growth. Urgent measures include eliminating fossil fuel emissions, increasing carbon sequestration, and implementing changes in land use to mitigate global heating. The report highlights the need for immediate and sustained efforts to reverse the current trajectory and protect the planet’s life-support systems.

Impact on Global Hunger and Agriculture

Climate change exacerbates global hunger as extreme weather events and crop losses disrupt agricultural productivity. Undernourishment, which had been on a declining trend for years, saw an increase in 2022, affecting 735 million people. This setback hinders progress toward the goal of zero hunger by 2030 and underscores the critical link between climate change and food security.

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