This year, the World Meteorological Organisation confirmed 2023 as the warmest year on record, surpassing all historical benchmarks with an alarming annual average global temperature of 1.45 ± 0.12 °C above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900).
This staggering rise signals an unprecedented deviation, and the consequences are dire.
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, expensive, and difficult to forecast. This has been announced at a point when the World Economic Forum is warning that by 2050 climate change may cause an additional 14.5 million deaths and $12.5 trillion in economic losses worldwide. It stressed on the urgent need for global action to reduce emissions and safeguard human health from the multi-pronged negative impacts of climate change. It also stated that the floods that occurred in Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands in July 2021 generated an estimated $43 billion in damages and killed 200 people. The cost per event has increased by nearly 77% between 2018-2023.
The distressing trend experienced in 2023 extends across the months, with every period from June to December setting new global monthly temperature records. July and August stand out as the two hottest months ever documented. As the world grapples with these extreme conditions, the impact of a warming El Niño event, emerging during the Northern Hemisphere spring of 2023 and intensifying rapidly through the summer, is now set to exacerbate the heat during 2024.
Contributing significantly to this climate crisis are record-high greenhouse gas levels, with carbon dioxide reaching unprecedented levels in 2022 that were 50% higher than those seen in the pre-industrial era. This surge in greenhouse gases traps heat in the atmosphere, compounding the global warming effect.
The evidence of a planet in distress extends beyond rising temperatures. The rate of sea-level rise has more than doubled from 2013-2022 compared to the first decade of the satellite record (1993-2002). The culprit: continued ocean warming and the accelerated melting of glaciers and ice sheets. Disturbingly, the maximum Antarctic sea-ice extent for 2023 hit a record low, falling 1 million km2 below the previous record at the end of the southern hemisphere winter.
Other impacts are disrupting many facets of sustainable development, undercutting efforts to address poverty, hunger, ill-health, displacement, and environmental degradation. Lives and livelihoods are being obliterated by a relentless onslaught of extreme weather events – fires, floods, droughts, heatwaves, storms, and cyclones.
Recognising the severity of the situation, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urgently calls for increased action and ambition. His plea to national governments is clear: limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5oC and ensure climate justice.
The cautionary tale of 2023 serves as a stark reminder that the consequences of inaction are far-reaching, affecting not just our environment, but the very fabric of human existence.
Last year, Malta also had its fair share of extreme weather events, ranging from intense heatwaves to erratic storms and cyclones. When we look back we note that some of these events are becoming more frequent and intense, wreaking havoc on the island's delicate ecosystems and agricultural practices, not to mention their impacts on the wellbeing of the population.
For example, official observations show that October of 2023 was the driest since 1922, while February of the same year delivered a staggering 70% of the winter’s precipitation, underscoring both the impact of Storm Helios and the erratic and unpredictable nature of weather patterns. The Cerberus heatwave last summer also left its marks on the local weather with July becoming the hottest month on record, registering an average temperature of 29.6oC and a 10-day heatwave that led to significant impact to the national infrastructure.
It is crucial that we consistently deliver this message, especially at a time when online hate watchdogs are reporting a shift in focus among climate deniers. Instead of denying climate change, they are now attempting to undermine the effectiveness of solutions. This is worrisome because YouTube's popularity among young people has the potential to significantly influence public opinion for an extended period.
