Amsterdam, Netherlands – Responding to the release of the World Meteorological Organisation’s State of the Global Climate Report, Lisa Göldner, Lead Campaigner of Greenpeace’s Fossil Free Revolution campaign, said: 

“Today’s report confirms what we already knew: that fossil-fuelled climate devastation reached a fever pitch in 2022. And it’s showing no sign of letting up in 2023, with a deadly heatwave hitting Asia this month and ice sheets melting faster than ever. But it’s business as usual for the fossil fuel industry, whose calling card seems to be greenwashing their public image while continuing to commit devastating climate crimes. 

“The solution is staring us in the face: the fossil fuel industry must die – not people. As long as the mighty power of the fossil fuel industry remains unbroken, the climate crisis will continue to escalate. Global governments have to step up; we want all new fossil infrastructure projects stopped this year, global emissions halved by 2030, and ultimately fossil fuels phased out for good. It’s a total no-brainer.” 

ENDS

Notes:

About the World Meteorological Organisation’s State of the Global Climate 2022 report: The report shows that in 2022, global greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise and the concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide –  have reached record highs. Global mean temperature in 2022 was 1.15°C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average, making the past eight years (2015-2022) the warmest on record. 2022 was the fifth or sixth warmest year on record.

The report furthermore shows how climate impacts are worsening around the world: 

  • Antarctic sea-ice extent reached a record low in February 2022, at almost 1 million km2 below the long-term mean. 
  • Sea level continued to rise in 2022, reaching again record high levels. 
  • Weather and climate extremes and their induced impacts are also exacerbated by rising global surface and sea temperatures. In East Africa, rainfall has been below average for five consecutive wet seasons, the longest sequence in 40 years. Across the region, under the effects of the drought and other shocks, an estimated over 20 million people faced acute food insecurity. In Pakistan, record breaking rain in July and August led to extensive flooding and approximately 1700 deaths, with almost 8 million people displaced, and 33 million people affected. Record breaking heatwaves affected Europe during the summer of 2022. In some areas, extreme heat was coupled with exceptionally dry conditions. Excess deaths associated with the heat in Europe exceeded 15 000 in total across Spain, Germany, the UK, France, and Portugal.
  • As of 2021, 2.3 billion people faced food insecurity, of which 924 million people faced severe food insecurity. Projections estimated 767.9 million people facing undernourishment in 2021, 9.8% of the global population. Half of these are in Asia and one third in Africa.
  • Throughout 2022, hazardous climate and weather-related events drove new population displacement and worsened conditions for many of the 95 million people already living in displacement at the beginning of the year. In Somalia, almost 1.2 million people became internally displaced by the catastrophic impacts of drought on pastoral and farming livelihoods and hunger during the year, of whom more than 60 000 people crossed into Ethiopia and Kenya during the same period. 

Sources: 

Contacts 

Jasmine Watkiss, International Media Coordinator, Greenpeace UK: [email protected], +44 7796 947448, 

Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

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