A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

WMO Says 2023 Saw Record Heats (World Meteorological Organization)

In a new report, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) revealed that records for greenhouse gas levels, surface temperature, ocean heat & acidification, sea level rise, Antarctic Sea ice cover, and glacial retreat were smashed over the past year. The State of the Climate study also confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with temperatures 1.45 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The WMO also noted that the past decade marked the warmest 10-year period on record.

This new statistical evidence holds immense implications for assessing extreme weather events, which are occurring globally with increasing severity and frequency. The growing impact of extreme weather has resulted in displacement, health impacts, and food and water insecurity. It also spurs wildfire activity and subsequent hazardous smoke, flooding and drought, and extreme cyclones. The large human toll of extreme weather also a massive economic toll.

Renewable energy capacity provides a “glimmer of hope,” however. This capacity has grown nearly 50% from 2022 alone, driven by uses of solar radiation, wind, and the water cycle. This increase is the highest rate observed in the past 20 years and indicates a capability to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. Increased climate finance flows should also play a role, despite a massive and continuing financing gap. Yet the cost of inaction will prove to be significantly higher than the cost of action.

READ | The New Arctic: Amid Record Heat, Ecosystems Morph and Wildlife Struggle

Very Few Countries Meet Stricter WHO Air Quality Standards (The Guardian)

A recent report from IQAir, a Swiss air quality organization, revealed that only seven countries (Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand) have met the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standard for PM2.5—a harmful or even deadly microscopic pollutant. An estimated 7 million people annually are killed by air pollution: a phenomenon more common in developing nations.

That more countries have not met the guidelines is a result of the WHO lowering its benchmark for “safe” levels of PM2.5. Even this lower guideline, however, may not be enough to prevent damage. New  research has found that any exposure to PM2.5, no matter how minimal, can be detrimental to health and safety, and contribute to heart disease and asthma.

The world’s pollution levels have generally improved over the past century. However, many nations still face dangerous amounts. IQAir’s North America chief executive Glory Dolphin Hammes warned that things have gone backwards rather than improving. Pakistan has the worst global pollution problem, with its PM2.5 levels 15 times higher than the WHO standard. Canada’s severe wildfires diminished its status as the cleanest air in the Western world, taking its ranking from best to worst. And China’s increased economic activities after Covid-19 also increased its pollution levels.

READ | Exposure to Air Pollutants and Heat Made Worse by Climate Change Impact Black Mothers the Most

Oil Executives Call Oil and Gas Phaseout a “Fantasy” (New York Times)

When oil executives gathered at CERAWeek, an annual conference in Houston, in mid-March, industry leaders argued against the phaseout of fossil fuels. Amin Nasser, head of Saudi Aramco, stated “we should abandon the fantasy of phasing out oil and gas.” He argued that the energy transition was failing, and that International Energy Agency (IEA) predictions of peak oil and gas were wrong.

Renewables still provide only 4% of the world’s energy. And while electrification has been taking off in many sectors of the U.S. economy, American crude oil and natural gas exports reached new highs this past year. Oil producers in the Persian Gulf plan to overtake the U.S. in natural gas production after 2030. Yet the world has largely recognized that fossil fuels are the biggest spur for the creation of global warming and its related challenges.

The comments at this industry gathering come in stark contrast to a settled scientific consensus, as well last year’s agreement to transition away from fossil fuels at COP28 in Dubai. Nasser asserted that the IEA focused far too much on rich nations in their estimates, but IEA officials, backed by the White House, argued that the oil industry should consult officials in other industries that utilize energy to gauge what the future of the energy transition really looks like. It is a debate will clearly shape the near future of global energy policy.

READ | The Renewable Energy Era Has Already Started