2023 Was The Hottest Year–What Does This Mean?
By Elizabeth Chen
A study done by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information has shown that 2023 has been the warmest year on this planet in 174 years. Each decade has been hotter than the last, a preview of the events that will happen in the future if humanity does not act now. Already there has been $1 billion in damage from climate-driven disasters in just the United States, and hundreds of people have died from heatwaves.
The record-breaking heat has been no surprise to climate scientists. Greenhouse gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation have directly contributed to the high temperatures. Even though the UN has “agreed to transition away from fossil fuels” and there was a record number of added wind and solar power, the question of whether or not carbon emissions are decreasing has shifted to whether or not it is decreasing fast enough. Scientists have found that 2023’s temperatures have been an outlier due to the fact it is so high, way higher than the record set in 2016, especially in the second half of the year. The magnitude shows what future catastrophic events may occur in upcoming years. 2024 has a “50-50 chance of being the hottest on record.”
Many political factors will affect the efforts to help climate change. This includes the priorities of political leaders, as there are so many issues they promise to help with. Will climate change be the number one and where money be spent? Another factor is the backlash that will occur due to lost jobs, as coal power plants are shut down. In Wyoming and Utah, power plants have been shutting down and protests have continued. Finally, the upcoming 2024 United States election has a role in the climate change situation, as it is one of the top contributors to the rise in temperatures and the political parties have varying opinions on the priority of climate change.
However, the efforts to help climate change come from the people, despite its entanglement with politics. Here are some statistics: Just this year, 18.5 million hectares of land had been burned in Canada from the wildfires as of October 15th, 2023. The effect of wildfires not only affected Canada but also areas around it as air pollution increased. Record-breaking temperatures occurred in June and July. There was a recorded amount of 744.8 mm of rainfall due to Typhoon Duksuri. From the wildfires in the United States, 7,500 people had to be evacuated, at least 99 people died, and 2,200 structures were lost just from Hurricane Dora. The largest fire in the European Union was recorded in Greece, burning 93,000 hectares of land.
Just from these statistics, imagine how much worse the effects will be in upcoming years if nothing is done to prevent climate change. Actions are being taken by the government, but climate change is not prioritized enough and carbon emissions will continue to increase. Fast action must be taken, as scientists predict that 43% of carbon emissions have to be slashed by 2030 to prevent a disastrous future.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/12/2023-hottest-year-record-us-scientists
https://www.noaa.gov/news/2023-was-worlds-warmest-year-on-record-by-far
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/12/31/what-climate-records-were-broken-in-2023