Hottest year on record: 2023's wake-up call for climate action

All the numbers confirm the undeniable fact that planet Earth has entered an irreversible stage, and it seems that the year 2023 is the hottest year humanity has ever known.

The European Copernicus Observatory confirmed in its report that the three months we've just experienced, June, July, and August, are the hottest in approximately 120,000 years, dating back to the beginning of human history.

The observatory relies on a database dating back to 1940, studying climates that prevailed over thousands of years, determined through tree rings or ice core samples.

However, this issue has effects on the planet, and they have begun to manifest in several ways.

Regarding the oceans, which absorb 90 percent of the excess heat from human activity, 2016 experienced the highest recorded ocean temperatures ever. In that year, sea temperatures exceeded all previous records.

The rise in ocean temperatures increases atmospheric temperatures and humidity, resulting in more intense rainfall and a rise in tropical hurricanes.

Furthermore, inside the oceans, it leads to oxygen depletion, threatening the survival of marine life, with coral reefs turning white and harmful algae blooms increasing.

Ice, which plays a crucial role in maintaining our global atmospheric system, is also suffering like the oceans. The ice surrounding the Antarctic continent has reached its lowest levels.

Temperature increases will continue until we effectively reduce emissions primarily caused by coal, oil, and gas combustion.

The summary of the observatory's report warned that humans are also threatened by fires, their chemical emissions, and heat waves.

Moreover, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has cautioned that the collapse has begun and that our climate is deteriorating faster than we can address.

With climate change a daily reality worldwide, will the major nations listen and reduce their carbon emissions to mitigate the losses before it's too late?

Are smaller nations preparing to mitigate the anticipated damages? And is anyone in Lebanon examining the consequences of this phenomenon on our coasts, snow, resources, economy, and health?