The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), an United Nations (UN) Special agency has released a report on the state of global climate. Celesta Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, mentioned that climate change is a defining challenge humanity faces today. She confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year for Earth, with global temperatures exceeding 1.45 ± 0.12°C above the 1850–1900 average. 2023 broke every climate indicator, she says. It is a very concerning report, and every one of us needs to understand the report's contents in detail on why Earth is running on fever.
Earth on Fever
2023 broke every single global climate indicator. Global climate indicators give us an overview of changes in the climate system. Specific baselines are marked to understand and compare climate changes happening on the planet Earth. The baselines are the benchmarks against which current conditions are compared. For temperature change comparison, a reference period of 1850–1900, pre-industrial conditions, is used. It is relevant to understand progress in the context of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Whereas, on the baseline of estimation of greenhouse gas concentrations, data from bubbles trapped in ice cores is used. Therefore, 1750 is chosen by the World Meteorological Organization as the pre-industrial level of greenhouse gases for comparison with present levels.
Global Temperatures and Greenhouse Gases
For the past nine years, 2015–2023, Earth has suffered from record-high temperatures. World Meteorological Organization, says that in the past 174 years, 2023 has been the warmest year. The temperatures recorded were 1.45 ± 0.12°C above the 1850–1900 average.
Mean near-surface temperature anomalies (difference from the 1991–2020 average) for 2023. (Source: WMO Report)
This long-term global rise in temperatures is due to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. El Nino and La Nino may also have contributed in a minor way to elevating global temperatures, but the real culprit is greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases are the atmospheric gases that increase the earth's surface temperature by trapping the heat of the sun. According to the World Meteorological Organization report, the levels of three greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—reached record-high levels in 2022. Real-time data from 2023 also showed a continuous increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric greenhouse gas increases are primarily due to human activities like pollution.
Melting Glaciers and Rise in Sea Level
In 2023, the average sea level worldwide will hit its highest point since 1993. Oceans are getting warmer, and ice from glaciers and ice sheets is melting. Over the past ten years (2014–2023), the sea level has risen more than twice as fast as it did during the first ten years (1993–2002).
The melting of glaciers is leading to the extinction of polar bears, as those bears living in Arctic areas of the Earth rely on ice floes and glaciers to hunt seals. With increasing temperatures and melting ice, they find it tough to hunt and eventually die of starvation.
Any ecological imbalance is detrimental to the health of the planet.
Socio-Economic Impact in the World
In 2023, people were increasingly worried about food shortages, people being forced to leave their homes, and how this affected vulnerable groups. Bad weather and climate disasters made things worse in many places.
The bad weather in 2023 kept causing people to move from their homes for longer periods or even permanently. This made it even harder for those who were already struggling because of war and violence.
Since the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction was put in place, more communities have been working on plans to reduce the damage caused by disasters.
A really important part of making disasters less harmful is having good systems to warn people about the dangers of different kinds of disasters.
How to Cool the Earth: Simple Ways
What do we do when we suffer from a fever? Remember our parents wiping us with a wet cloth to cool down when we suffered from a fever? So, they were helping us cool down. We can also do a few things to cool the earth.
- Try avoiding fuel bikes; walk instead if you are buying something from a nearby shop. Instead, opt for a bicycle or electric vehicle. It saves fuel and greenhouse gas emissions.
- We use coolers and air conditioners at home to cool ourselves. For planet Earth, we can't do that. Growing plants and trees cool the atmosphere. Transpiration in plants helps in the formation of clouds.
- Reduce waste: We must stop wasting food, water, or resources we get from the planet. When the planet is suffering from a fever, we must help her by using very limited resources.
Earth needs our support to heal. If we ignore her, we will perish along with her. Let us walk the talk.