Experts say “shocking new records” for sea level, ocean heat and greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere were set in 2021.
The UN’s World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) annual “State of the Global Climate Report” also said that as carbon dioxide dissolves into seawater, oceans are becoming more acidic, threatening wildlife.
The report also warned that extreme weather could cause food and water shocks in 2021, displacing millions and causing billions of dollars in damage as global temperatures rise 1.1 degrees Celsius above 19th-century levels.
Economically
Last year was one of the seven hottest years on record, lower than other recent years due to the cooling effect of the natural La Niña weather pattern, but the years since 2015 were the seven warmest on record.
World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petri Taalas has warned that it is “only a matter of time” that the world will have another hottest year on record, surpassing 2016.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the new report as “a dismal tirade of humanity’s failure to address climate damage”.
He warned that fossil fuels were a dead end, as he called for action to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, including shared technology, battery storage for clean energy, expanding supply chains and investments, and stopping polluting oil, gas and coal.
Mr Guterres said: “The global energy system has collapsed, bringing us closer to climate catastrophe. Fossil fuels are a dead end – both environmentally friendly and economical.
heat wave
“The war in Ukraine and its immediate impact on energy prices is another wake-up call. The only sustainable future is renewable.”
Four key climate indicators set new records in 2021, the WMO’s annual report warns.
Greenhouse gas concentrations reached new global highs in 2020, with atmospheric carbon dioxide levels 49% higher than pre-industrial levels, before continuing to rise in 2021 and 2022.
Ocean heat also reached a record high in 2021, and the top 2,000 meters of the ocean have been warming at an increasing rate over the past 20 years, with deeper and deeper warming.
Most of the ocean will experience at least one “intense” marine heatwave in 2021.
devastating
Global average sea levels will rise to a record high in 2021, the report said.
Between 2013 and 2021, sea levels will rise by an average of 4.5mm per year, more than double the rate of rise between 1993 and 2002, as ice loss from the ice sheet accelerates, increasing the risk of hundreds of millions living in coastal areas.
The report also warns that the ocean, which absorbs nearly a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities every year, reacts with water to make it more acidic, threatening habitats such as wildlife and coral, and affecting food security , tourism and coastal protection. by coral reefs.
