WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION – INTERNATIONAL
News: World to hit 1.4C of warming in
record hot 2023
What's
in the news?
●
With a month to run, 2023 will reach
global warming of about 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 Fahrenheit) above preindustrial
levels, adding to "a deafening cacophony" of broken climate records,
released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Key
takeaways:
●
The WMO's
provisional State of the Global Climate report confirms that 2023 will be
the warmest year on record by a large margin, replacing the previous
record-holder 2016.
Findings
of the Report:
●
The UN's World Meteorological Organization
warned that 2023 had shattered a whole host of climate records, with extreme weather leaving "a trail of
devastation and despair".
●
It also warned that the average
temperature for the year is up some 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 degrees
Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial times – a mere one-tenth of a degree under a
target limit for the end of the century as laid out by the Paris climate accord
in 2015.
○
Climate
change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, combined with the emergence of
the natural El Nino climate pattern in the Eastern Pacific
pushed the world into record territory this year.
●
WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas
highlighted the severity of the situation, noting that greenhouse gas concentrations, global temperatures, sea level rise and
the decline of Antarctic Sea ice have all reached unprecedented highs.
World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO):
●
WMO was established in 1950 and is the specialised agency of the UN for
meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related
geophysical sciences.
Headquarters:
Geneva, Switzerland
Members:
●
It is an intergovernmental organisation
with 193 members.
●
India is a member of WMO.
Major
Programmes:
1.
World Weather Watch:
●
A system of satellites and telecommunication
networks connecting land and sea sites for monitoring weather conditions.
2.
World Climate Programme:
●
It monitors climate change, including
global warming.
3.
Atmospheric Research and Environment Programme:
●
Designed to promote research on issues
such as ozone depletion.
Features:
●
The Organization plays a leading role in
international efforts to monitor and protect the climate and the environment.
●
In collaboration with other UN agencies
and NMHSs, WMO supports the implementation of UNFCCC and a number of
environmental conventions and is instrumental in providing advice and
assessments to governments on related matters. These activities contribute towards
ensuring the sustainable development and well-being of nations.
Reports:
●
State of Climate Report
●
Greenhouse Gas Bulletin Report