2023 Broke Every Single Climate Indicator: UN Weather Agency

In 2023, the UN Weather Agency reported that all major climate indicators set record highs.

Levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—the main greenhouse gases—reached unprecedented concentrations.

The year also marked the highest surface temperatures and increases in ocean heat and acidity, as well as sea-level rise.

The "State of the Global Climate 2023" report highlighted that 2023 was the hottest year on record since records began 174 years ago, with temperatures averaging 1.45°C above pre-industrial levels.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo sounded an urgent alarm, underlining the accelerating pace of climate change and its significant effects, such as ocean warmth, glacier retreat, and Antarctic sea ice loss.

To keep global warming within 1.5°C, COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber emphasized the need for countries to enhance their climate action plans, reduce overall emissions significantly, and invest in natural and adaptive solutions.

The report also detailed substantial increases in carbon dioxide concentration, which is 50% higher than in the pre-industrial era, and a doubling in the pace of sea-level rise in the past decade compared to the 1990s. Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest extent on record in February.

Glaciers saw their most significant ice loss recorded in 2022-2023, with pronounced declines in Western North America and Europe. Furthermore, extreme weather events continued to have a major socio-economic impact worldwide, including floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires.

The report noted a doubling in global acute food insecurity since the pre-pandemic era, rising from 149 million to 333 million individuals in 2023.

Global hunger remained at high levels in 2022, with 9.2% of the global population being undernourished. Conflicts, economic challenges, and high food prices, compounded by climate extremes, are key factors in ongoing global food insecurity.