In 2023, climate news was mixed: we saw a relentless rise in temperatures but also a glimmer of hope in progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Stunning Heat”
Extreme heat that breaks records continued to make headlines this year. There were numerous record-breaking heatwaves around the world, from the southwestern United States to Europe and China. Even in South America, there were summer-like temperatures during the winter. Researchers concluded that many heatwaves have become significantly more likely due to climate change – some of which would have been “virtually impossible” without global warming. Extreme heat is particularly dangerous for the elderly, children, and low-income communities that may lack air conditioning. In some places, like Europe, the intense summer heat has pushed hospitals’ capacities to levels reminiscent of the COVID era.
Every month from June to November was the hottest of its kind on record. Most remarkably, July was the hottest month ever recorded on the planet – likely the hottest at least in 120,000 years – with a wide margin of 0.2 degrees Celsius (approximately 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit). September was the most unusually warm month, being about 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than the previous record for September set in 2020. In a Twitter post, climate scientist Zeke Hausfather described those records as “absolutely astonishing.”
While the developing El Niño phenomenon, part of the natural climate cycle, contributed slightly to the rise in global temperatures, the exceptional increase in temperatures in 2023 is largely attributed to the Earth warming by 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times. This year should serve as a warning of the future we face if we do not take swift and ambitious action to reduce emissions produced by burning fossil fuels. “This is what the world looks like when it’s 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter, which is terrible,” said climate scientist Kate Marvel to Scientific American.
Success or Failure?
The international climate summit meets every year to discuss how to tackle the climate crisis and achieve ambitious goals but often ends with little practical achievement. In November, this year’s summit – the 28th Conference of the Parties, or COP28 – took some steps toward taking action to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels; however, the summit did not meet the expectations of many climate experts and environmental advocates.
The massive summit (with about 100,000 participants) began by approving a fund to compensate communities for unavoidable climate impacts – known as the “loss and damage fund” in UN terms – something many developing nations have been calling for over the years. These countries bear a disproportionate burden of the effects of climate change, despite having contributed little to global warming. Many nations, including the United Arab Emirates (which hosted COP28), pledged tens of millions of dollars to the fund. The United States alone pledged $17.5 million. While this funding was welcomed, it is far from sufficient compared to what is needed – a shortcoming shared with most funding dedicated to helping countries adapt to climate change and develop renewable energy sources.
The agreement
The non-binding agreements that arose from the summit included historical language regarding “the transition away from fossil fuels,” which had not been clearly defined before. Previous agreements discussed emission reductions but did not specify how to achieve those cuts, leaving the door open for participants to continue burning fossil fuels and either capture the emitted carbon (a technology that has not yet fully developed for large-scale operation) or offset emissions through some sometimes questionable carbon credit systems.
Although the new agreement acknowledged the need to stop burning coal, oil, and gas, it still allows for the use of those fuels during the transition to clean energy and was ratified before some countries that did not fully support the text could enter the room. This language contradicts the billions of dollars allocated by countries like the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and China to further develop fossil fuel resources.
Underwater Insurance
Homeowners and businesses often pay for insurance policies to be financially protected in the event of a disaster, whether it’s a hurricane or a muddy flood. But this year, it has become very clear that climate change is harming the insurance industry.
Climate change increases many natural risks, from heavy rains that cause flooding to destructive thunderstorms and massive wildfires. These disasters in recent years have left insurance companies in California, Florida, and Louisiana facing huge losses and bankruptcies for many of them. Some insurance companies have stated that they will not sell or renew insurance policies in California and Florida due to the high risks associated with extreme events. Other insurance companies have raised their prices, making insurance policies unaffordable for some people. This year, the U.S. Treasury Department announced a plan to require 213 major insurance companies to provide information about the policies they sell and where they sell them, so the government can assess whether vulnerable communities are adequately insured.
Without private insurance, more people will rely on public insurance programs or disaster relief funds, which do not always have strong enough resources. In early 2023, Florida’s public insurance company warned that Hurricane Ian had “significantly impoverished” its reserves, which could mean it would have to raise fees on policyholders. At that time, there was a $332 million deficit in the state operational plan in California. Additionally, disaster relief funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are limited in scope and subject to budgetary battles in Congress.
These developments in the insurance industry this year—recording a record number of disasters costing billions of dollars in the United States—might serve as an early signal of the actual and financial risks that await us.
Biden’s Ambition
In 2023, the Biden administration continued working on setting regulations and taking executive actions alongside international diplomacy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States (which are expected to decline by 3 percent this year). Its efforts represent only the beginning and somewhat contradict practices like continuing to hold auctions for licenses to develop fossil fuels. However, they are undoubtedly the most ambitious climate actions that the country has ever taken.
At the COP28 climate meeting, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its final rule to significantly reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, in part by addressing leaks from pipelines and other infrastructure. For the first time ever, these regulations cover facilities built before 2015.
And improved
Cold relations between the United States and China have somewhat thawed, at least in the climate arena, through an agreement between the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world to bolster renewable energy and advance carbon capture technologies.
The administration has also expanded environmental justice protections and authorized the establishment of the “American Weather Corps,” which will employ thousands of young people to work on solar and wind energy projects and make homes more energy efficient and restore ecosystems, similar to the Civilian Conservation Corps of the New Deal era.
The continued progress made under the Biden administration will largely depend on how the elections unfold in 2024, as Republican candidates have vowed to attempt to roll back many of his efforts. But if everything is done correctly, the country could achieve its goal of halving U.S. emissions.
Copyright and Permissions: Andrea Thompson is a senior editor covering the environment, energy, and earth sciences. She has reported on these issues for 16 years. Before joining Scientific American, she was a senior writer covering climate science at Climate Central and a reporter and editor at Live Science, where she primarily covered earth science and environmental issues. She has participated in organizing sessions, including as part of the media zone for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and has appeared in radio and television interviews on major networks. She holds a graduate degree in science, health, and environmental reporting from New York University, as well as a bachelor’s and master’s degree in atmospheric chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
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