UN climate agency report says last eight years were warmest on record

Ice breaks off the receding Findel glacier at a stream of the glacier's meltwater on June 22, 2022 near Zermatt, Switzerland. The Findel glacier, which descends from the Monta Rosa massif, once filled a wide ravine running over two kilometers below its current terminus. Matthias Huss, a glaciologist with ETH Zurich university and head of the Swiss glacier monitoring network, has been studying the Findel and reports that the glacier is losing mass at a rate significantly faster than average since 2011. This summer is likely to be especially brutal for Switzerland’s glaciers. Normally in mid-June glaciers, including the Findel, would still be covered in snow that protects them from the sun, though because very little snow fell this year, the glaciers are already exposed and melting rapidly under conditions that are more typical for late July or August. Huss and his colleagues are studying approximately 20 glaciers across Switzerland to observe the effects of global warming. All of the glaciers are melting, and he predicts that if we do not meet global climate goals Switzerland’s glaciers will be mostly gone by 2100. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Ice breaks off the receding Findel glacier at a stream of the glacier's meltwater on June 22, 2022 near Zermatt, Switzerland. The Findel glacier, which descends from the Monta Rosa massif, once filled a wide ravine running over two kilometers below its current terminus. Matthias Huss, a glaciologist with ETH Zurich university and head of the Swiss glacier monitoring network, has been studying the Findel and reports that the glacier is losing mass at a rate significantly faster than average since 2011. This summer is likely to be especially brutal for Switzerland’s glaciers. Normally in mid-June glaciers, including the Findel, would still be covered in snow that protects them from the sun, though because very little snow fell this year, the glaciers are already exposed and melting rapidly under conditions that are more typical for late July or August. Huss and his colleagues are studying approximately 20 glaciers across Switzerland to observe the effects of global warming. All of the glaciers are melting, and he predicts that if we do not meet global climate goals Switzerland’s glaciers will be mostly gone by 2100. Photo credit (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
By , Audacy

A new report released for Earth Day by the World Meteorological Organization – a United Nations specialized agency – said the past eight years have been the warmest on record, going all the way back to 1850.

“From mountain peaks to ocean depths, climate change continued its advance in 2022,” said the WMO. “Droughts, floods and heatwaves affected communities on every continent and cost many billions of dollars. Antarctic sea ice fell to its lowest extent on record and the melting of some European glaciers was, literally, off the charts.”

Global mean temperature last year was around 34 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1850-1900 average, said “The State of the Global Climate 2022” report. Even with three consecutive years of cooling due to La Niña, last year was still the 5th or 6th warmest year on record.

“Planetary scale changes on land, in the ocean and in the atmosphere caused by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases,” were observed in compiling the report, said the WMO. It also said “melting of glaciers and sea level rise - which again reached record levels in 2022 - will continue to up to thousands of years.”

Earlier this year, Matthew Ballew, a research specialist at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, joined Audacy’s “It’s Generational” podcast and shared tips on how individuals can help mitigate climate change. Audacy team member Chuck McBride is an example of someone working to help the climate, and his community, through a tree-planting program.

“While greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and the climate continues to change, populations worldwide continue to be gravely impacted by extreme weather and climate events. For example, in 2022, continuous drought in East Africa, record breaking rainfall in Pakistan and record-breaking heatwaves in China and Europe affected tens of millions, drove food insecurity, boosted mass migration, and cost billions of dollars in loss and damage,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.

Even though the situation may seem dire, Taalas said that UN agencies have been “effective” at mitigating the humanitarian impact of climate change. However, he said about 100 countries do not have adequate weather services in place as of 2023.

“We have the tools, the knowledge, and the solutions. But we must pick up the pace. We need accelerated climate action with deeper, faster emissions cuts to limit global temperature rise…,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in an Earth Day statement. “We also need massively scaled-up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities who have done the least to cause the crisis.”

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In the U.S., President Joe Biden announced an “Executive Order to Revitalize Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All,” Friday.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)