By Ojugbele Omotunde
The Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Prof. Celeste Saulo has warned that the year 2024 may be considerably hotter than previous years in history.
Prof. Saulo disclosed this on Friday when she released the WMO’s provisional State of the Global Climate report for 2023.
She said the forecast was based on a rising El Nino, which replaces the cooling La Nina phenomena, underscoring the urgent need for swift action.
Prof. Paulo said the report reveals a new annual temperature average of 1.45°C when compared to the pre-industrial era (1850-1900).
She explained further that July and August 2023 were the warmest months on record, added that temperatures from June to December 2023 also broke previous records.
Prof. Paulo noted that the greatest threat facing humanity is climate change, which affects everyone, but especially the most vulnerable.
The WMO boss highlighted the urgency of swift action, which, according to her, includes sharply cutting greenhouse gas emissions and hastening the switch to renewable energy sources.
Prof. Saulo, who said human activity is causing climate change to worsen, said between 2014 and 2023, the average annual temperature increased by 1.20°C.
She reiterated that every decade, since the 1980s, has exceeded the previous one in temperature, with the last nine years being the warmest on record.
In his remarks, UN Secretary General, António Guterres stressed the need for ground-breaking action to deliver climate justice and keep global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
He warned that 2023 was a preview of the dreadful future if climate change issues were not addressed immediately.