All world heat records broken in 2023, and 2024 could be worse. Last year, the average temperatures hit the highest level in 174 years of records, reaching almost 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Ocean temperatures also reached the warmest in 65 years as reported by the United Nations (UN) weather agency.

“Last year saw record heat, record sea levels and record ocean surface temperatures. Glaciers likely lost more ice than ever before,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said. The year 2023 set new records for every single climate indicator. Climate crisis is the defining challenge that humanity faces.

Record heat made life miserable and sometimes deadly in Europe, North America, China and many other places last year.

Scientists say global warming is also responsible for more extreme weather events, like the long drought that devastated the Horn of Africa, the torrential rains that destroyed dams and killed thousands in Libya, and the wildfires forests in Canada which have polluted the air from North America to Europe.

The cost of climate action may seem high, but the cost of climate inaction is much higher! It is imperative that our actions today are based on the welfare of future generations rather than short-term economic interests.