Human-Induced Global Warming Is Increasing At 0.26°C Per Decade, The Highest Rate Since Records Began – Indian PSU | Public Sector Undertaking News

Human-Induced Global Warming Is Increasing At 0.26°C Per Decade, The Highest Rate Since Records Began  Indian PSU

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Jun 8, 2024 - 05:00
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Human-Induced Global Warming Is Increasing At 0.26°C Per Decade, The Highest Rate Since Records Began – Indian PSU | Public Sector Undertaking News

Annual Update on Global Climate Indicators

The Indicators of Global Climate Change (IGCC) project, initiated in 2023, provides annual, peer-reviewed updates on key climate indicators to assess the current state of the climate and its changing dynamics due to human influence. The project utilizes the same indicators and methods as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. These annual updates bridge the information gap between each IPCC Assessment cycle, which typically spans 5-10 years, to support evidence-based decision-making. The latest study involves a team of 57 scientists, including IPCC Lead Authors, Contributing Authors, and Chapter Scientists, from 42 institutions across 15 countries.

Key Findings:

  • Record high average annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 53 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide were observed for the period 2013-2022.
  • The global surface temperature in 2023 was 1.43°C above the 1850-1900 average, with 1.31°C attributed to human-induced warming. Natural climate variability, particularly El Niño, also contributed to the record temperatures in 2023.
  • Human-induced warming has increased to 1.19°C over the past decade (2014-2023), compared to 1.14°C in the previous period (2013-2022).
  • The remaining carbon budget for a 50% chance of limiting global warming to below 1.5°C was estimated to be around 200 billion tonnes of CO2 (GtCO2) at the beginning of 2024, equivalent to approximately five years’ worth of current emissions.
  • Global concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have continued to rise since 2019, reaching 419.3 parts per million, 1922.5 parts per billion, and 336.9 parts per million, respectively, in 2023.
  • Total anthropogenic effective radiative forcing has increased to 2.79 watts per square meter in 2023 compared to the pre-industrial level of 1750. Reductions in sulphur emissions from shipping have decreased their cooling effect on the climate, but this has been offset by aerosol emissions from Canadian wildfires in 2023.
  • Earth energy imbalance has increased over time, from 0.79 watts per square meter during 2006-2018 to 0.96 watts per square meter during 2011-2023.
  • The estimated land average annual maximum temperature for the period 2014-2023 was 1.74°C, an important indicator for climate and weather extremes.

When considering 2023 in isolation, human-induced warming accounted for 1.3°C of the total warming observed (1.43°C), indicating the influence of natural climate variability, particularly El Niño.

The analysis also reveals that the remaining carbon budget for limiting global warming to 1.5°C is approximately 200 gigatonnes (billion tonnes) of CO2, equivalent to around five years’ worth of current emissions. This is a significant reduction from the previous estimate of 300 to 900 gigatonnes, with a central estimate of 500 gigatonnes, provided by the IPCC in 2020. The ongoing increase in CO2 emissions and global warming has led to a revised estimate of 100 to 450 gigatonnes, with a central estimate of 200 gigatonnes, at the beginning of 2024.

The Indicators of Global Climate Change Project is coordinated by Professor Piers Forster, Director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds. He emphasizes that despite efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, global warming caused by human activities continues to rise. The report highlights the urgency to rapidly reduce emissions towards net zero and build more resilient societies to mitigate the devastating impacts of wildfires, droughts, floods, and heatwaves witnessed in 2023.

The report’s release coincides with the preparations for the COP29 climate conference, scheduled for November in Baku, Azerbaijan. As the next major assessment by the IPCC is not expected until around 2027, the IGCC project fills the information gap by providing up-to-date climate indicators.

The report is accompanied by an open data and open science platform called the Climate Change Tracker’s Indicators of Global Climate Change dashboard, which offers easy access to updated information on key climate indicators.

The analysis published in Earth System Science Data also sheds light on the impact of reduced sulphur emissions from the global shipping industry. While sulphur emissions have a cooling effect on the climate by reflecting sunlight and promoting the formation of reflective clouds, ongoing reductions in these emissions have diminished this effect. Although aerosol emissions from Canadian wildfires partially offset this reduction, the long-term trend indicates a decline in the cooling potential of aerosol emissions.

The report concludes with a call to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions towards net zero and build resilient societies. It emphasizes the importance of the report in informing new Nationally Determined Contributions, which are improved climate plans that each country has committed to submit to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by 2025 to address emissions reduction and climate adaptation.

About the Author:

Dr. Seema Javed is an environmentalist and communications professional specializing in climate and energy.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

  • SDG 13: Climate Action

The article primarily focuses on climate change and its impacts, which aligns with SDG 13 – Climate Action. This goal aims to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

  • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters
  • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
  • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning
  • Target 13.a: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
  • Target 13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing states, including focusing on women, youth, and local and marginalized communities

These targets focus on various aspects of climate action, including resilience building, policy integration, education and awareness, financial support, and capacity building.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

  • Record high average annual GHG emissions for 2013–2022 of 53 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide
  • The global surface temperature in 2023 was 1.43°C above the 1850-1900 average
  • Human-induced warming has risen to 1.19 °C over the past decade (2014-2023)
  • The remaining carbon budget for a 50% chance of staying below 1.5°C was estimated to be around 200bn tonnes of CO2 (GtCO2)
  • The global concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have increased since 2019
  • Total anthropogenic effective radiative forcing has increased to 2.79 watts per square meter in 2023 relative to 1750
  • Earth energy imbalance has increased over time
  • Land average annual maximum temperatures were estimated to be 1.74°C over 2014-2023

These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets by tracking changes in greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures, carbon budgets, concentrations of greenhouse gases, radiative forcing, energy imbalance, and land temperatures.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

SDGs Targets Indicators
SDG 13: Climate Action Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters Record high average annual GHG emissions for 2013–2022 of 53 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide
SDG 13: Climate Action Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning The global surface temperature in 2023 was 1.43°C above the 1850-1900 average
Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning Human-induced warming has risen to 1.19 °C over the past decade (2014-2023)
Target 13.a: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible The remaining carbon budget for a 50% chance of staying below 1.5°C was estimated to be around 200bn tonnes of CO2 (GtCO2)
Target 13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing states, including focusing on women, youth, and local and marginalized communities The global concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have increased since 2019
SDG 13: Climate Action Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters Total anthropogenic effective radiative forcing has increased to 2.79 watts per square meter in 2023 relative to 1750
Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning Earth energy imbalance has increased over time
Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning Land average annual maximum temperatures were estimated to be 1.74°C over 2014-2023

Copyright: Dive into this article, curated with care by SDG Investors Inc. Our advanced AI technology searches through vast amounts of data to spotlight how we are all moving forward with the Sustainable Development Goals. While we own the rights to this content, we invite you to share it to help spread knowledge and spark action on the SDGs.

Fuente: indianpsu.com

 

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