2023 in climate change

This article documents events, research findings, effects, and responses related to global warming and climate change during the year 2023.

List of years in climate change
  • … 2013
  • 2014
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2021
  • 2022
  • 2023
  • 2024
  • 2025
  • 2026
  • 2027
  • 2028
  • 2029
  • 2030
  • 2031
  • 2032
  • 2033 …
+...

Summaries
Message for fossil fuel producers

     I have a special message for fossil fuel producers and their enablers scrambling to expand production and raking in monster profits: If you cannot set a credible course for net-zero, with 2025 and 2030 targets covering all your operations, you should not be in business.

—António Guterres, U.N. Secretary-General[1]
6 February 2023

Measurements and statistics
  • 3 January: the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that Antarctic sea ice extent stood at the lowest in the 45-year satellite record—more than 500,000 square kilometers (193,000 square miles) below the previous record (2018), with four of the five lowest years for the last half of December having occurred since 2016.[2]
  • 26 January: Bloomberg NEF's "Energy Transition Investment Trends" report estimated that, for the first time, energy transition investment matched global fossil fuel investment—$1.1 trillion in 2022, including China with $546 billion, the US with $141 billion, and the EU if treated as a bloc, $180 billion.[3]

Natural events and phenomena
  • 7 February: a study published in Nature Communications concluded that 15 million people globally are exposed to impacts from potential glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), more than half being from India, Pakistan, Peru, and China.[4] Climate change has intensified glacial ice melt and expanded glacial lakes.[4]
  • 13 February: a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported that increasing abundance of a thermotolerant symbiotic alga hosted by corals has facilitated maintenance of high coral cover after three mass coral bleaching events, suggesting that future reefs might maintain high cover for several decades, albeit with low diversity and provided that other stressors are minimized.[5]
  • 2 March: a study published in Science said that boreal fires, typically accounting for 10% of global fire CO2 emissions, contributed 23% in 2021, by far the highest fraction since 2000.[6] 2021 was an abnormal year because North American and Eurasian boreal forests synchronously experienced their greatest water deficit.[6]
  • 13 March: a study published in Nature Water found that total intensity of extreme events (droughts and pluvials (rainfall events)) is strongly correlated with global mean temperature, and concluded that continued warming of the planet will cause more frequent, more severe, longer and/or larger of such extreme events, and that "distortion of the water cycle... will be among the most conspicuous consequences of climate change".[7]
  • 15 February: Two joint studies by the British Antarctic Survey and the US Antarctic programme finds that glaciers on the icy continent may be more sensitive to changes in sea temperature than previously thought. Researchers used sensors and an underwater robot beneath the Thwaites glacier to study melting.[8][9][10] One day earlier, a new record low Antarctic sea ice extent is reported by the National Snow and Ice Data Center in the US, beating the previous record set a year earlier.[11][12]

Actions, and goal statements

Science and technology

Political, economic, legal, and cultural actions
  • 1 January: Extinction Rebellion made a statement that for 2023 it had made "a controversial resolution to temporarily shift away from public disruption as a primary tactic", after 2022's traffic blockages and throwing soup on the case of Vincent van Gogh’s "Sunflowers" painting.[24]
  • 11 January: the French National Assembly adopted the Acceleration of Renewable Energies bill, which includes a requirement to install solar panels on all car parks (parking lots) of over 1,500 square metres (16,100 square feet).[25]
  • 14 February: the European Parliament effectively banned sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the European Union from 2035, and set a 55% cut over 2021 CO2 emission levels for new cars sold from 2030.[26]
  • March: the UN 2023 Water Conference is scheduled to be held in New York.[27]
  • November: the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference is scheduled to be held in Dubai.[28]

Mitigation goal statements

Projections
Projections for different amounts of global warming: Melting of glacial mass, sea level rise, and loss of number of glaciers.[29]

      The consequences of (sea level rise) are unthinkable. Low-lying communities and entire countries could disappear forever. We would witness a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale.

—António Guterres, U.N. Secretary-General[30]
14 February 2023

  • 2 January: a study published in Earth's Future (American Geophysical Union) concluded that the greatest increase in the amount of coastal area below mean sea level will occur in the early stages of sea level rise (SLR), contrary to earlier assessments, shortening time for adaptation efforts.[31] Latest projections indicate that SLR is certain to exceed 2 metres (6.6 ft) in coming centuries, and a rise by 4 metres (13 ft) is considered possible.[31]
  • 5 January: a study published in Science stated that, based on then-current pledges, global mean temperature is projected to increase by +2.7 °C, which would cause loss of about half of Earth's glaciers by 2100, causing a sea level rise of 115±40 millimeters (not counting ice sheet melt).[29]
  • 30 January: Climate scientists predict, using artificial intelligence, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that global warming will exceed 1.5 °C in the next decade (scenario SSP2-4.5), and a nearly 70% chance of 2 °C between 2044 and 2065 (~2054) – a substantial probability of exceeding the 2 °C threshold – even if emissions rapidly decline (scenario SSP1-2.6).[32][33]
  • February: the International Energy Agency's Electricity Market Report 2023 projected that low-emissions sources will constitute almost all the growth in global electricity demand through 2025, with renewables' portion of global power generation rising from 29% in 2022 to 35% in 2025.[34]
  • 13 March: a study published in Nature Sustainability forecast that floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems on reservoirs could provide 9,434±29 terawatt-hours/year[35]—over a third of global electricity.[36]

Significant publications
Observed Changes and Impacts

     Human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. This has led to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people (high confidence). Vulnerable communities who have historically contributed the least to current climate change are disproportionately affected (high confidence).

—"Headline Statement A2" in the AR6 Synthesis Report[37]

  • February: "Electricity Market Report 2023" (PDF). iea.org. International Energy Agency. February 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 February 2023.
  • 22 March: "AR6 Synthesis Report / Headline Statements". IPCC.ch. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. March 2023. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023.
  • 22 March: "Longer Report of the Synthesis Report of the IPCC Six Assessment Report (AR6)" (PDF). IPCC.ch. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. March 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 March 2023.

See also

References
  1. Nichols, Michelle (6 February 2023). "For 2023, U.N. chief amplifies warnings on Ukraine, climate". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023.
  2. "Ice down under". 3 January 2023. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Fig. 5a
  3. "Global Low-Carbon Energy Technology Investment Surges Past $1 Trillion for the First Time". BloombergNEF. 26 January 2023. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023.
  4. Taylor, Caroline; Robinson, Tom R.; Dunning, Stuart; Carr, J. Rachel; Westoby, Matthew (7 February 2023). "Glacial lake outburst floods threaten millions globally". Nature Communications. 14 (487): 1805. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36033-x. PMC 9905510. PMID 36750561. S2CID 256631924.
  5. Palacio-Castro, Ana M.; Smith, Tyler B.; Brandtneris, Viktor; Baker, Andrew C. (13 February 2023). "Increased dominance of heat-tolerant symbionts creates resilient coral reefs in near-term ocean warming". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 120 (8): e2202388120. doi:10.1073/pnas.2202388120. PMC 9974440. PMID 36780524. S2CID 256844633.
  6. Zheng, Bo; Ciais, Philippe; Chevallier, Frederic; Yang, Hui; et al. (2 March 2023). "Record-high CO2 emissions from boreal fires in 2021". Science. 379 (6635): 912–917. doi:10.1126/science.ade0805.
  7. Rodell, Matthew; Li, Bailing (13 March 2023). "Changing intensity of hydroclimatic extreme events revealed by GRACE and GRACE-FO". Nature Water. doi:10.1038/s44221-023-00040-5.
  8. "Vast glacier at mercy of sea warmth increases". BBC News. 15 February 2023. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  9. Schmidt, B. E.; Washam, P.; Davis, P. E. D.; Nicholls, K. W.; Holland, D. M.; Lawrence, J. D.; Riverman, K. L.; Smith, J. A.; Spears, A.; Dichek, D. J. G.; Mullen, A. D.; Clyne, E.; Yeager, B.; Anker, P.; Meister, M. R.; Hurwitz, B. C.; Quartini, E. S.; Bryson, F. E.; Basinski-Ferris, A.; Thomas, C.; Wake, J.; Vaughan, D. G.; Anandakrishnan, S.; Rignot, E.; Paden, J.; Makinson, K. (February 2023). "Heterogeneous melting near the Thwaites Glacier grounding line". Nature. 614 (7948): 471–478. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05691-0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 9931587. PMID 36792738.
  10. Davis, Peter E. D.; Nicholls, Keith W.; Holland, David M.; Schmidt, Britney E.; Washam, Peter; Riverman, Kiya L.; Arthern, Robert J.; Vaňková, Irena; Eayrs, Clare; Smith, James A.; Anker, Paul G. D.; Mullen, Andrew D.; Dichek, Daniel; Lawrence, Justin D.; Meister, Matthew M.; Clyne, Elisabeth; Basinski-Ferris, Aurora; Rignot, Eric; Queste, Bastien Y.; Boehme, Lars; Heywood, Karen J.; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Makinson, Keith (February 2023). "Suppressed basal melting in the eastern Thwaites Glacier grounding zone". Nature. 614 (7948): 479–485. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05586-0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 36792735.
  11. "Antarctic sea ice extent sets a new record low". National Snow and Ice Data Center. 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  12. "'Extreme situation': Antarctic sea ice hits record low". The Guardian. 15 February 2023. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  13. "Studie sieht EU-weit 87 Milliarden Euro Mehrbedarf bei Erneuerbaren und E-Verkehr | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  14. Klaaßen, Lena; Steffen, Bjarne (January 2023). "Meta-analysis on necessary investment shifts to reach net zero pathways in Europe". Nature Climate Change. 13 (1): 58–66. Bibcode:2023NatCC..13...58K. doi:10.1038/s41558-022-01549-5. ISSN 1758-6798. S2CID 255624692.
  15. Harvey, Fiona (12 January 2023). "Fossil fuel producers must be forced to 'take back' carbon, say scientists". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  16. Jenkins, Stuart; Kuijper, Margriet; Helferty, Hugh; Girardin, Cécile; Allen, Myles (1 January 2023). "Extended producer responsibility for fossil fuels". Environmental Research Letters. 18 (1): 011005. Bibcode:2023ERL....18a1005J. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aca4e8. ISSN 1748-9326.
  17. Bergero, Candelaria; et al. (30 January 2023). "Pathways to net-zero emissions from aviation". Nature Sustainability: 1–11. doi:10.1038/s41893-022-01046-9. S2CID 256449498.
  18. Marris, Emma (8 February 2023). "Fighting Climate Change Was Costly. Now It's Profitable". The Atlantic. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  19. Bi, Stephen L.; Bauer, Nico; Jewell, Jessica (February 2023). "Coal-exit alliance must confront freeriding sectors to propel Paris-aligned momentum". Nature Climate Change. 13 (2): 130–139. Bibcode:2023NatCC..13..130B. doi:10.1038/s41558-022-01570-8. ISSN 1758-6798. S2CID 256659280.
  20. "Can shooting clouds of Moon dust towards the Sun combat global warming?". Firstpost. 8 February 2023. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  21. Bromley, Benjamin C.; Khan, Sameer H.; Kenyon, Scott J. (8 February 2023). "Dust as a solar shield". PLOS Climate. 2 (2): e0000133. doi:10.1371/journal.pclm.0000133. ISSN 2767-3200.
  22. "Rationing could be an effective way to fight climate change". Earth.com. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  23. Wood, Nathan; Lawlor, Rob; Freear, Josie (19 February 2023). "Rationing and Climate Change Mitigation*". Ethics, Policy & Environment: 1–29. doi:10.1080/21550085.2023.2166342. ISSN 2155-0085.
  24. "Climate Group Extinction Rebellion Suspends 'Public Disruption' Tactics". Voice of America. 1 January 2023. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023.
  25. "French parliament votes to make solar panels compulsory on large car parks". Radio France Internationale. 11 January 2023. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023.
  26. Abnett, Kate (14 February 2023). "EU lawmakers approve effective 2035 ban on new fossil fuel cars". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023.
  27. "UN 2023 Water Conference". UN Water. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  28. "COP28 Global Climate Summit Dubai 2023 / Meaning, Venue & Dates". The Global Statistics. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  29. Rounce, David R.; Hock, Regine; Maussion, Fabien; Hugonnet, Romain; et al. (5 January 2023). "Global glacier change in the 21st century: Every increase in temperature matters". Science. 379 (6627): 78–83. Bibcode:2023Sci...379...78R. doi:10.1126/science.abo1324. PMID 36603094. S2CID 255441012.
  30. "Stressing Rising Seas Already Creating Instability, Conflict, Secretary-General Says Security Council Has Critical Role in Addressing Devastating Challenges". United Nations. 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023.
  31. Vernimmen, Ronald; Hooijer, Aljosja (2 January 2023). "New LiDAR-Based Elevation Model Shows Greatest Increase in Global Coastal Exposure to Flooding to Be Caused by Early-Stage Sea-Level Rise". Earth's Future. American Geophysical Union. 11 (1). Bibcode:2023EaFut..1102880V. doi:10.1029/2022EF002880. S2CID 255699293.
  32. "Earth is on track to exceed 1.5C warming in the next decade, study using AI finds". The Guardian. 30 January 2023. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  33. Diffenbaugh, Noah S.; Barnes, Elizabeth A. (7 February 2023). "Data-driven predictions of the time remaining until critical global warming thresholds are reached". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 120 (6): e2207183120. Bibcode:2023PNAS..12007183D. doi:10.1073/pnas.2207183120. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 9963891. PMID 36716375. S2CID 256414790.
  34. "Electricity Market Report 2023" (PDF). iea.org. International Energy Agency. February 2023. pp. 6, 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 February 2023.
  35. Jin, Yubin; Hu, Shijie; Ziegler, Alan D.; Gibson, Luke; et al. (13 March 2023). "Energy production and water savings from floating solar photovoltaics on global reservoirs". Nature Sustainablity. doi:10.1038/s41893-023-01089-6.
  36. Timmer, John (13 March 2023). "Floating solar panels could provide over a third of global electricity". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023.
  37. "AR6 Synthesis Report / Headline Statements". IPCC.ch. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. March 2023. p. A2 Observed Changes and Impacts. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023.

Organizations

Surveys, summaries and report lists
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.