Newsletter Issue 38 (December 2023)

The Weather of Hong Kong in November 2023 – A dry and unseasonably warm November

With the northeast monsoon over the south China coast weaker than normal for most of the time in the month, November 2023 was much warmer than usual in Hong Kong. Together with the higher than usual temperatures in September and October, the autumn of this year from September to November was also much warmer than usual.

Rate and impact of climate change surges dramatically in 2011-2020

The rate of climate change surged alarmingly between 2011-2020, which was the warmest decade on record. Continued rising concentrations of greenhouse gases fuelled record land and ocean temperatures and turbo-charged a dramatic acceleration in ice melt and sea level rise, according to a new report from WMO. Glaciers thinned by around 1 meter per year – an unprecedented loss – with long-term repercussions for water supplies for many millions of people.

Scientific reports at COP28 show we are heading in wrong direction

The annual Global Carbon Budget projects fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of 36.8 billion tonnes in 2023, up 1.1% from 2022. The new report from the Global Carbon Project – one of the partners of WMO’s United in Science reports – complements WMO’s annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which said that greenhouse gas concentrations in 2022 were at record level and continued to rise in 2023.

The Climate Change We’ve Already Created Will Last 50,000 Years, Scientists Warn

The idea of an entirely new and human-created geological epoch is a sobering scenario as context for the current UN climate summit, COP28. The impact of decisions made at these and other similar conferences will be felt not just beyond our own lives and those of our children, but perhaps beyond the life of human society as we know it. The latest study shows that this new, suddenly disrupted, climate pattern is here for at least 50,000 years and probably far longer.

Expert Reveals Why Dimming The Sun Could Be Vital For The Planet

Dimming the Sun wouldn’t perfectly reverse climate change. The Sun’s warming effect is strongest during the day, in the summer and at the Tropics, whereas greenhouse gases warm everywhere and at all times. However, we could create an even cooling effect across the world by adjusting where we release the particles. Research suggests that such an approach would greatly reduce climate risks.

WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin No. 19

The latest analysis of observations from the WMO GAW in situ observational network shows that the globally averaged surface concentrations for CO2, CH4 and N2O reached new highs in 2022, with CO2 at 417.9 ppm, CH4 at 1923 ppb and N2O at 335 ppb. These values constitute, respectively, increases of 150%, 264% and 124% relative to pre-industrial (before 1750) levels. NOAA Annual Greenhouse Gas Index shows that from 1990 to 2022, radiative forcing by long-lived GHGs increased by 49%, with CO2 accounting for about 78% of this increase.

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