COP28: The biggest climate wins and flops from the first week
New ScientistDec 01, 2023
Report: 2023 Was Likely The Hottest in 100K Years
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The Facts
2023 was likely the warmest in 100K years, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. 2023's global temperatures broke the previous year's records significantly.
According to reporting from the Service, 2023 was 1.48ºC warmer than the pre-industrial average, surpassing the previous record in 2016 of +1.25ºC.
The Spin
Narrative A
With all the doom and gloom around climate change, it's worth noting that the impacts of a warming planet are not entirely bad. As temperatures increase, agricultural conditions in some parts of the planet may actually improve, as the growing seasons will be longer. A loss of Arctic sea ice would also benefit commercial shipping, as the Northwest Passage will be accessible for longer periods of the year. The question is whether the costs will outweigh the benefits — but there will be benefits nonetheless that often get overlooked.
Narrative B
2023's warming is alarming. As the planet continues to warm, climate events like wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, and floods are likely to get worse. This wasn't just a wayward data point as 2023 smashed previous tallies. Granted there was an El Niño pattern that contributed to the high tally and will probably subside before 2024 ends — but the dreaded +1.5ºC threshold is likely to be surpassed in the next 12 months. There's a real chance that hazardous climate impacts could multiply in the year ahead.
