In 2023 we experienced heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires, and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones upending everyday life for millions of people and inflicting vast economic losses. The WMO report confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global average near-surface temperature at 1.45 °Celsius (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.12 °C) above the pre-industrial baseline. According to the report, it was the warmest ten-year period on record.

Admittedly sour but necessary reading, the State of the Global Climate report provides an overview of the state of the climate indicators in 2023 with in-depth coverage on key climate indicators, extreme events and impacts.

The indicators include global temperatures, greenhouse gas concentration, ocean heat content, sea level rise, ocean acidification, Arctic and Antarctic sea ice, Greenland ice sheet and glaciers and snow cover, precipitation and stratospheric ozone, with an analysis of major drivers of inter-annual climate variability during the year including the El Niño Southern Oscillation and other ocean and atmospheric indices.

The highlighted extreme events include those related to tropical cyclones and wind storms; flooding, drought and extreme heat and cold events. The publication also provides most recent finding on climate related risks and impacts including on food security and population displacement.