UN Weather Agency Issues "Red Alert" on Climate Crisis

The United Nations' weather agency has raised a "red alert" concerning global warming, citing alarming increases in greenhouse gases, land and water temperatures, and the rapid melting of glaciers and sea ice. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), these developments underscore the inadequacy of global efforts to address climate change effectively.

In its "State of the Global Climate" report released on Tuesday, the WMO expressed deep concern that the world is dangerously close to surpassing the crucial goal of limiting planetary warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, as outlined in the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Celeste Saulo, the WMO's secretary-general, remarked:

“Never have we been so close – albeit on a temporary basis at the moment – to the 1.5° C lower limit of the Paris agreement on climate change. The WMO community is sounding the red alert to the world.”

The report highlighted that the 12-month period from March 2023 to February 2024 exceeded the 1.5-degree threshold, with an average temperature increase of 1.56°C (2.81°F). This trend is expected to persist, with a "high probability" that 2024 will set another record for global temperatures.

The report outlined a series of alarming environmental indicators, including widespread ocean heat waves, unprecedented ice loss from glaciers, and the retreat of Antarctic sea ice to historically low levels. Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan, described the situation as a "meltdown phase," emphasizing the urgent need for action.

Scientists caution that the 0.12°C error margin in temperature estimates is significant enough to suggest that the Earth may have already warmed by 1.5°C. However, they emphasize that this does not necessarily indicate a breach of the promise made by world leaders in the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming to that level by the end of the century. This is because global heating is typically assessed using a 30-year average, rather than a single-year spike.

The report highlights a range of extreme weather events, including severe heatwaves, occurring on every inhabited continent. Rapid attribution studies have indicated that some of these events were exacerbated or made more likely by climate change.

The study revealed that marine heatwaves affected approximately one-third of the world's oceans on an average day in 2023, causing significant harm to crucial ecosystems and food systems. By the year's end, only 10% of the ocean remained unaffected by heatwave conditions.

Additionally, climate change exacerbated extreme weather events, leading to food shortages and displacing populations, even if it was not the primary cause of their suffering. The report noted a drastic increase in the number of individuals experiencing acute food insecurity, rising from 2019 to 333 million people in 2023, with the highest concentration observed in Africa and South Asia.

Despite the grim outlook, the report also offered a “glimmer of hope,” citing significant growth in renewable energy capacity, which rose by nearly 50% in 2023.