The WMO announced that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures nearing a critical 1.5°C increase above pre-industrial levels.
Utilizing six international datasets, the WMO reported a new annual average of 1.45°C higher than the 1850-1900 baseline, with each month from June to December breaking temperature records. Although the Paris Agreement targets this 1.5°C increase as a long-term average, 2023 alone surpassed this threshold.
WMO Secretary-General Prof. Celeste Saulo stressed the urgency of addressing climate change and called for rapid action, such as cutting greenhouse gas emissions and switching to renewable energy. With La Niña giving way to the warming effects of El Niño, temperatures could rise even further in 2024.
Prof. Saulo emphasized that human activities are exacerbating climate change, with recent decades showing continuous warming trends. The past nine years were the hottest on record, with a 1.20°C increase for the 2014-2023 period.
UN Secretary-General
António Guterres urged immediate and significant action to prevent a climate crisis, focusing on limiting global temperature rise and ensuring climate justice. The WMO’s provisional report illustrated widespread ecological disruptions across various climate indicators.