UN climate report says 2023 'off the list'

US News

By Aaron Barker, Fox Weather

As Earth braces for its hottest year in 2023, records for six climate change metrics were broken, according to a UN report released Tuesday.

The State of the Global Climate 2023 Report The release by the World Meteorological Organization – the UN's climate agency – confirmed what had already been widely reported.

However, the WMO reported that 2023 was the hottest 10-year period on record for the planet.

According to the report, the world's average surface temperature in 2023 was 1.45 degrees Celsius (2.61 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial baseline.

“We have never been so close to the Paris Agreement's lower limit of 1.5°C (2.7°F), albeit tentatively,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Salo. Report.

“WMO Community Sounding Red Alert to World.”

In a tweet about the report, the WMO used a spiral diagram to show how global temperatures have warmed since the 19th century.

“2023 gave new meaning to the phrase 'off the chart',” the scientists wrote in a tweet.

'Changes are coming fast'

The world's temperature isn't the only record to be broken in 2023.

According to the report, records of greenhouse gases, ocean warming and sea level rise all reached record levels last year.

Antarctic sea ice extent also reached record lows, while Arctic sea ice remained well below normal.

The Greenland ice sheet continues to lose mass after the world's largest island recorded its hottest summer ever.

A collection of glaciers around the world used for reference saw the largest ice loss on record.

“Sirens are sounding on all key indicators…some records not only top the charts, they break the charts. And change is accelerating,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on the report.

Renewable energy is also making progress

Renewable energy production – solar, wind and hydro – set records in 2023, and capacity additions are projected to increase by 50% from 2022 to a total of 510 gigawatts, the scientists said.

Renewable energy has become central to climate action because of its potential to meet targets aimed at reducing levels of greenhouse gases, scientists said.

Countries have set a target of tripling global renewable energy capacity to 11,000 gigawatts by 2030.