The Independent's Climate Newsletter
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Welcome to The Independent's weekly round-up on the climate crisis, and the solutions being deployed to tackle it. Thanks for reading - LB | |
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Global temperature increase relative to the average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period, as annual averages since 1967 (Credit: C3S/ECMWF)
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A while back, during an interview with Dr Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M university, he mentioned an auto-response email that he sends to reporters when asked to comment on extreme temperatures.
"Dear _____," so the email goes. "Thank you for emailing me asking for a comment about 20__ being one of the hottest years in the record. No, this is not surprising - it is exactly in line with predictions. Here is a comment you can use for your story: 'Every year for the rest of your life will be one of the hottest in the record. This in turn means that 20__ will end up being among the coldest years of this century. Enjoy it while it lasts.' I look forward to hearing from you next year. Regards, Andy."
I was reminded of our conversation, and this email, earlier this week after it was announced, to no great surprise, that 2023 was the hottest year on record "by a large margin".
For the first time, every day of the year was 1C hotter on average globally than the pre-industrial era, the EU's climate change service Copernicus said. What's more, nearly half the days in 2023 breached 1.5C (2.7F) – the temperature-limit target set under the global Paris Agreement to prevent the most harmful consequences of the climate crisis. In 2016, the previous hottest year, just over 20 per cent of days surpassed this limit.
In November, another barrier was broken. Two days that month measured more than 2C above pre-industrial levels for the first time – surpassing the upper warming limit of the Paris deal.
The findings do not mean that the Paris Accords have failed, as the agreement is based on temperature changes over 20-year periods. But it sets a "dire precedent," Copernicus warned.
"The extremes we have observed over the last few months provide a dramatic testimony of how far we now are from the climate in which our civilisation developed," said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
"This has profound consequences for the Paris Agreement and all human endeavours."
More climate news this week from The Independent
The world added 50 per cent more renewable power in 2023 than 2022 - putting the global goal of tripling clean energy in the next six years within reach, experts said.
The United States experienced a record number of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2023. There were 28 separate events that caused losses in excess of $1bn – the highest number since the US government began keeping tally four decades ago. The combined cost for these disasters was nearly $93bn.
Bottled water contains tens of thousands of tiny, invisible pieces of plastic – 10-100 times more than previously estimated, a new study found. Most of these nanoparticles have the potential to penetrate human cells and gain entry into the bloodstream and major organs.
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The oil industry is kicking off 2024 by spending millions to undermine global progress on the climate crisis. Far from being 'part of the solution' as they claimed at COP28, they are aggressively working to prevent any transition away from fossil fuels. |
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| With billions of single-use cups chucked every year, it's well-worth considering sustainable alternatives. We've tried and tested the 11 best reusable coffee cups on the market. |
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Life in the climate crisis |
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