2023 was the hottest year in history and scientists are looking for solutions to the climate crisis

As we can imagine, as we feel it first hand, Global temperatures in 2023 broke all high temperature records. The figures were recently confirmed by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which has been monitoring several key climate indicators over the past year.

Unprecedented global temperatures since June have indicated that 2023 will be the hottest year ever recorded in measured history. Many reports have pointed to a number of record conditions, such as the hottest month in history. and some daily global temperature averages exceed pre-industrial levels by a dangerous 2°C in some periods.

The 2023 Global Climate Highlights report, published by Copernicus and NOAA Climate from the USA, shows an overview of the most important climate events of the year and also highlights their main causes, such as greenhouse gas concentrations, Electricity returns, etc. Niño and other natural variations.

Highlights of Global Surface Air Warming in 2023

Among the highlights for global surface air temperature in 2023, Copernicus notes that this is the warmest year recorded in global temperature records since 1850. “Very likely” according to C3S director Carlo Buontempo Last year was the hottest year in the last 100,000 years.

Moreover, in 2023 the planet was on average 1.48°C warmer than in the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900, when humans began burning fossil fuels on a large scale, polluting the atmosphere with increasing carbon dioxide emissions.

Possible The 1.5 °C limit agreed in the Paris Agreement in 2015 to prevent global warming can already be reached in the average of 12 months ending in January or February 2024., designs C3S. Although the target has not yet been breached as it refers to periods of at least 20 years, the temperature exceeding this level on almost half of the days in 2023 sets a “terrible precedent”, Buontempo says.

Scientists point to bold climate change mitigation

Considering what they describe as “the disappearance of the goal of the Paris Agreement,” a team of scientists from the United States, the Netherlands and Australia presented a “restorative” path forward, recently published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. To do this, they contextualized it”relevant variables over the last 500 years using a diverse and possibly new set of underlying data”According to research.

Recognizing that the causes of multiple environmental and social crises are ecological depletion or overexploitation of the earth, researchers have sought to integrate ecological, social and climatic aspects into their projections to clarify existing relationships. Alternatives called Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) have been developed as a joint community effort in recent years.

Described by the authors as “stories that happen in the future”, SSPs are based on five narratives that represent alternative forms of socioeconomic development: Fuel-oriented development, sustainability, regional competition, inequality and intermediate solutions.

What is the restorative way to reverse global warming?

At the outset, the authors provide a comprehensive diagnosis of the sweeping changes the Earth has undergone. The paper’s first author, William Ripple of Oregon State University, said in a statement: “The income sharing variable dates back to 1820 and shows that the richest 10 percent consistently receive at least 50 percent of all income, a term that defines global economic inequality.” .

In this sense, the restorative path involves a more equitable and resilient world. As a natural climate solution, the focus is on protecting nature. Other points are also addressed, such as “social well-being and quality of life; equality and higher levels of education for girls and women, resulting in lower fertility rates and higher living standards, and a rapid transition to renewable energy”.

Knowing that there are even great difficulties in implementing the measures due to “lack of political will and widespread social denial”, the authors understand that tackling climate change cannot be limited to emissions and supporting vulnerable communities. The study concludes that “long-term, incremental changes for humanity and other life on Earth” are also needed.

Anyone who wants to delve deeper into the subject can subscribe to NASA’s YouTube channel and watch the space agency’s and NOAA’s annual global temperature assessments at the press conference that will be broadcast on the social network on January 12 at 13:00 (Brazil time). ).

Follow the latest studies on the effects of global warming on our planet at TecMundo. If you wish, take the opportunity to understand why, according to some experts, we may be witnessing the death of Nature.