2023 Hits Record Heat: WMO Warns "Planet on the Brink
March 19, 2024
2023 was the hottest year on record, as per the World Meteorological Organisation's State of the Climate report.
Greenhouse gas concentrations contributed to a global average temperature increase of 1.45 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Ocean heat content was at its highest in 65 years, with marine heatwaves covering 32% of the oceans.
Antarctic sea-ice extent reached a record low, and glaciers saw their largest ice loss on record in 2022-2023.
The 12-month period leading to February 2024 surpassed the 1.5-degree Celsius limit of the Paris agreement, averaging 1.56 C higher.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the situation a 'planet on the brink,' underscoring the immediacy of the crisis.
The WMO warns of the likelihood that 2024 will break further temperature records, urging immediate and substantial climate action.
Experts and government ministers are convening in Copenhagen to advocate for enhanced climate action in response to the dual crises of climate change and inequality.
Summary based on 78 sources
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Sources

The Guardian • Mar 19, 2024
‘Red alert’: last year was hottest on record by clear margin, says UN report
The News Mill • Mar 19, 2024
Record level increase in greenhouse gas, surface temp, ocean heat in 2023: UN report
The Washington Post • Mar 19, 2024
UN weather agency issues 'red alert' on climate change after record heat, ice-melt increases in 2023
Time • Mar 19, 2024
U.N. Weather Agency Issues 'Red Alert' on Climate Change