Why taking action on climate is important

2023 was confirmed as the warmest year on record, marking a critical point in the ongoing climate crisis. According to NOAA and NASA, global surface temperatures in 2023 ranked highest in the 144-year record, sitting 1.4°C (2.52°F) above the early industrial (1881-1910) baseline average. Global temperatures broke records for seven consecutive months, from June to December, encompassing the hottest summer and fall seasons ever documented. These extreme temperatures were driven by human-induced climate change and remind us of the extent of the climate crisis and the urgent need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

To date, climate action has been primarily driven by a mix of top-down policy efforts on the supply side, bottom-up citizen movements and coalitions of large cities and companies. These initiatives are instrumental and move in the right direction, but they are not yet fast and large enough to reverse global warming and stave off the worst climate change impacts.

Reaching drawdown – the point when greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere start to decline – through drastic reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and development of carbon sinks, requires a whole-of-society approach and transformative shift in scale within the next few years.

Reversing the trend of global warming is still possible for the following reasons. 

Cover photo credit © Clay Banks/Unsplash.