According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), all significant global climate records were surpassed in 2018, and the outlook for 2024 is bleak. The organization’s chief issued a statement of particular concern regarding ocean temperatures and diminishing sea ice on Tuesday, March 19.
According to the annual State of the Global Climate report published by the United Nations Weather Agency, average temperatures have surpassed pre-industrial levels by 1.45 degrees Celsius, the highest level in 174 years of record-keeping.
The WMO reported that ocean temperatures reached their highest level in 65 years of data, with heatwave conditions affecting more than 90 percent of the seas during the year. This has had detrimental effects on agricultural systems.
“The WMO community has issued the Red Alert,” stated WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, who assumed the position in January.
“What we witnessed in 2023 is cause for particular concern,” she continued, “particularly in light of the unprecedented ocean warming, glacier retreat, and Antarctic Sea ice loss.”
She warned reporters that ocean heat’s “almost irreversible” nature, which could take millennia to reverse, was especially alarming.
“The trend is extremely concerning because water retains heat for longer than the atmosphere,” she explained. (https://thecaribbeannewsnow.com/united-nations-sounds-red-alert-as-world-smashes-heat-records-in-2023/)
