2023: Hottest Year on Record Triggers UN 'Red Alert' on Climate Crisis

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued a "Red Alert" as it reports that 2023 broke every major global climate record, with average temperatures reaching the highest level in 174 years and ocean temperatures hitting the warmest in 65 years. The WMO expressed particular concern about ocean heat and shrinking sea ice, emphasizing the irreversible nature of ocean warming and its detrimental impact on marine ecosystems and food systems. The report also highlighted the high probability of 2024 setting new heat records, with a significant plunge in Antarctic sea ice and a doubling of the rate of sea-level rise over the past decade. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stressed the urgent need to scale up climate action to mitigate the increasingly frequent and extreme climate events.