The hottest year yet, and now, El Niño

2023 was the hottest year on record.

The report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) placed into hard facts and figures what the world had already been witnessing. Again, we are reminded of what we are facing with climate change.

“Climate change intensified heatwaves, droughts and wildfires across the planet, and pushed the global thermometer 1.48 C above the preindustrial benchmark,” the report said.

“Nearly half the year exceeded the 1.5C limit, beyond which climate impacts are more likely to become self-reinforcing and catastrophic.”

“Reliable weather records that date back to 1850 show that 2023 temperatures exceed those of any period in at least the last 100,000 years.”

In the Philippines, the changes in weather patterns which can exacerbate certain impacts related to El Nino is already here and is expected to affect 77 percent of the country.

Less rainfall will bring drought to many areas in the country and will affect our food supply. That will reduce agricultural produce and increase its prices, or cause a shortage.

PAGASA, the state weather bureau, had advised on the coming of this weather phenomenon since last year.  But it is information that many may have taken lightly, until they are deep into the dry spell and health and livelihoods are affected. If you have health issues that may be affected by high temperatures, you can still act now.

President Marcos has reactivated Task Force El Niño to mitigate the effects of the phenomenon that is expected to persist until the end of second quarter of 2024. It will focus on five key sectors such as water, agriculture, energy, health, and public safety.

The factors that contributed to climate change are now well-known.  Just to emphasize and to remind, we will quote the same EU monitor report:
“In 2023, carbon dioxide and methane concentrations reached record levels of 419 parts per million and 1,902 parts per billion, respectively. Methane is the second-largest contributor to global warming after CO2, and is responsible for around 30 percent of the rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).”

Fossil fuels — coal, gas and oil — have been identified as the main cause of climate warming. In November 2023, a climate agreement was reached at COP28 in Dubai calling for the gradual transition away from fossil fuels.

The global community, governments, and the private sectors have been moving to mitigate climate change.  Yet we have reached the critical threshold.  We need to do more in the community level and even in the family unit. Reducing one’s carbon footprint by adjusting mobility and lifestyles can contribute to a relevant result.

The year was a mere preview of the “catastrophic future that awaits us if we don’t act now,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.