Paris agreement target under serious threat; act now, urges document
Residents of Chattogram in Bangladesh move to safer ground as Cyclone Mocha approaches. Photo: iStock Cyclone Mocha in the Bay of Bengal was one of the most severe cyclones in 2023 globally, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has noted in its report released on the first day of the year’s most important climate event.
Provisional State of the Global Climate 2023, a copy of which is with this reporter, noted: “Tropical Cyclone Mocha, in May, was one of the most intense cyclones ever observed in the Bay of Bengal, reaching peak 10-minute sustained winds of 115 kilometres per hour.”
It added that “Cyclone Mocha triggered 1.7 million displacements across the sub-region from Sri Lanka to Myanmar and through India and Bangladesh.”
The report was released by the WMO at the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
It sounded a dire warning about the state of global climate. The analysis pointed out that the global temperature rise is within the striking distance of breaching the 1.5-degree Celsius (°C) mark compared to the pre-industrialised era.
The 1.5 °C target was set up the UN in the Paris climate agreement at the 2015 COP21 in the French capital, as the rise has already touched the 1.4-degree mark. The pre-industrialised era — 1850-1900 — is considered a benchmark, as human-induced climatic impacts started to rise after the period.
The report also stated that it is virtually certain that 2023 is going to be the “warmest year” ever recorded. It clarified that this is not a one-off thing as “the past nine years, 2015-2023 (have been) the nine warmest years on record”. The 2023 data has been collected till October.
“This has been the hottest year ever for humanity. So many terrifying records were broken. We are paying with people’s lives and livelihoods,” said Simon Stiell, WMO executive secretary, at the inauguration of COP 28.
“The global mean near-surface temperature in 2023 (to October) was around 1.40 ± 0.12 °C … above the 1850-1900 average. Based on the data to October, it is virtually certain that 2023 will be the warmest year in the 174-year observational record, surpassing the previous joint warmest years, 2016 at 1.29 ± 0.12 °C above the 1850–1900 average and 2020 at 1.27±0.13 °C,” read the report.
The report reported a series of other findings that have highlighted the global warming happening across the world and ecosystems, and urged global leaders to take urgent climate actions at the Dubai COP, which would run for next two weeks.
“Observed concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases (warming gases) — carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide — reached record high levels in 2022, the latest year for which consolidated global values are available (1984–2022),” the document said.
“Ocean heat content reached its highest level in 2022 … in the 65-year observational record (and) in 2023, global mean sea level reached a record high in the satellite record … reflecting continued ocean warming as well as the melting of glaciers and ice sheets,” it further added.
“Greenhouse gas levels are record high. Global temperatures are record high. Sea level rise is record high. Antarctic sea ice is record low. It’s a deafening cacophony of broken records,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “We need leaders to fire the starting gun at COP28 on a race to keep the 1.5-degree limit alive,” added the official.
“These are more than just statistics. 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,” he said.
Taalas recommended setting clear expectations for the next round of climate action plans and committing to the partnerships and finance to make them possible; committing to triple renewables and double energy efficiency; and committing to phase out fossil fuels, with a clear time frame aligned to the 1.5-degree limit.
“The latest WMO report serves as a grim harbinger, highlighting the irreversible damage inflicted on our glaciers, sea levels, and the very essence of our global climate system. This warning is one we cannot afford to overlook, as the urgency for action resonates now louder than ever,” opined Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at Climate Action Network International.
“The turmoil caused by record-high temperatures and catastrophic climate impacts is intrinsically linked to the unprecedented surge in greenhouse gases, a direct consequence of rampant fossil fuel use. The world needs immediate and audacious action at the COP28 Climate Conference — a definitive roadmap and timeline for a fair and equitable phase-out of coal, oil and gas,” added Singh.
He pointed out that wealthier nations, bearing historical responsibility, must lead the way in decisively shifting from their reliance on fossil fuels and also have a crucial role in providing financial support to vulnerable nations.
Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of Meteorology, India Meteorological Department and vice chair of WMO told this reporter on November30 evening that “global temperatures are rising everywhere, but in India, North India has registered a rapid surge in mercury compared to the southern parts”.
“Temperature rise in sea surface is triggering sea level rise; besides glaciers or sea ice are melting at a faster pace, and posing a potential threat to all the coastal places across the world, including India,” he further added.
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