And it wasn’t just the average global sea level that broke all records; the concentration of greenhouse gases and the temperature and acidity of the oceans were also record-breaking.

Global warming continues unabated. This is according to a new climate report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Scientists in the report come to a stark conclusion that four of the most important indicators of climate change – sea level rise, concentration of greenhouse gases and the temperature and acidity of the oceans – will all set new records by 2021. And the culprits are ourselves.

Ocean

The new report shows that the oceans are being hit hard by climate change. For example, the average global sea level in 2021 broke all records. This was the unavoidable consequence of a continuous sea level rise of about 4.5 mm per year between 2013 and 2021. This rapid sea level rise – more than twice as fast as measured between 1993 and 2002 – is mainly due to wasting ice on the ice caps. The current record-breaking sea level has major consequences for the hundreds of millions of people who live on the coast and also increases the vulnerability to tropical cyclones.

The temperature and acidity of the oceans

In addition, the temperature of the ocean was sky-high last year. The temperature of the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean continued to rise unabated in 2021. And the seas are expected to continue to warm in the future; a change that has become irreversible. On top of that, the ocean is also incredibly acidic. The ocean absorbs about 23 percent of the carbon dioxide that humans emit. Seawater is acidified by a chemical reaction with water, releasing hydrogen ions. Ocean acidification will initially negatively impact calcifying organisms such as corals, crustaceans and mollusks, all of which play important roles in many food chains.

Greenhouse gas concentration

The authors emphasize that not only did the oceans have to endure in 2021, but the concentration of greenhouse gases was also record-breaking. Last year the concentration even rose to an average of 413.2 parts per million (ppm). This means that the concentration is no less than 149 percent above the pre-industrial level. Moreover, it does not appear that things are slowly but surely moving in the right direction. For example, the sensors at the Hawaiian Mauna Loa Observatory measured concentrations of 416.45 ppm in April 2020, 419.05 ppm in April 2021 and 420.23 ppm in April 2022, showing that they are still on an upward trend.

2021 was hot
This high concentration of greenhouse gases has contributed to 2021 being the fifth warmest year on record. The global average temperature in 2021 was 1.1 to 1.2 degrees Celsius higher than in the pre-industrial period between 1850 and 1900. Moreover, it appears that the seven warmest years ever recorded are also the seven most recent years. The fact that last year was not the warmest year on record is mainly due to the effects of the La Niña at the beginning and end of the year. “However, it is only a matter of time before we see another warmest year on record,” Taalas said.

The fact that four climate records have been broken again in 2021 is bad news. “Our climate is changing before our eyes,” said WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas. “The heat trapped by greenhouse gases will warm the planet for many generations to come. Sea level rise and ocean warming and acidification will continue for hundreds of years unless means are invented to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Some glaciers even have ‘the point of no return’ and this will have long-term implications for the two billion people already facing water scarcity.”

Human

According to the WMO, there is no doubt about the originator of the observed established records: humans. The fact that existing records have been broken again, they say, is also a clear sign that human activities are causing changes on a global scale; on land, in the ocean and in the atmosphere. “This has harmful and long-lasting consequences for sustainable development and ecosystems,” they write.

Implications

Last year, the consequences of climate change were also very noticeable. For example, exceptional heat waves broke out in western North America and around the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, extreme weather – the daily ‘face’ of climate change – caused hundreds of billions of dollars in economic damage, claimed human lives, had a major impact on well-being and led to food and water insecurity and displacement. “Extreme weather has the most direct impact on our daily lives,” says Taalas. “By investing in disaster preparedness for years, we are better at saving lives, even though the economic losses are enormous. But much more needs to be done. This is evident from the drought that is ravaging the Horn of Africa, the recent deadly floods in South Africa and the extreme heat in India and Pakistan. Early warning systems are critical to climate adaptation. Unfortunately, these are available for less than half of the WMO members. We are therefore determined to provide everyone with warning systems in the next five years.”

The WMO report once again reminds us of how climate change is unfolding before our very eyes. “Like the recent IPCC report, this WMO report also confirms that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and air temperatures continue to increase and that the oceans are warming and acidifying as sea levels rise,” said study researcher Pete Strutton, of the University of Tasmania. . “In addition, extreme events such as droughts, fires and floods are increasing in frequency and severity.” According to him and other experts, it is therefore necessary that we take action to reduce the use of fossil fuels. “We should try to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, as in line with the Paris climate agreement,” said senior analyst Tom Mortlock of Macquarie University. “Only then can we avert the worst effects of climate change.”