Among the climate-conscious, 2023 will likely be remembered most for being the hottest year in the last 120,000 years.
Revealing this alarming data, renowned climate scientist James Hansen has said that following the scorching July, 2023 is likely the hottest in 120,000 years.
Terming the year as “a turning point”, the Director of the Climate Programme at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York issued a stark warning.
“This is a new climate frontier with temperatures surpassing any recorded in the past million years,” he was quoted as saying by a British daily.
Painting a grim picture of humanity’s ability to address the climate crisis. He views this year as moment when the governments’ indifferent attitude towards issues of climate change became tragically apparent.
“When our children and grandchildren reflect on the history of human-made climate change, this year and the next will be seen as the turning point at which the futility of governments in dealing with climate change was finally exposed,” Hansen told the daily.
He further added that in 2023, the world witnessed an alarming surge in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, casting a shadow over the globe.
From the Turkey-Syria earthquake to South African floods and wildfires in Algeria, this year was marred by a series of devastating earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and cyclones, leaving a trail of destruction, displacement, and loss of life on a global scale.
For almost thirty years, despite recognizing fossil fuels as a major problem, the recent UN Cop28 summit ended with a vague call for change, even as evidence of severe global warming grows. The gap between urgent scientific warnings and concrete political actions highlights the crucial necessity for decisive global measures.
