Topline
2023 will be the hottest year on record, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said during the opening of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, confirming an earlier warning by EU scientists and delivering a potent warning about the speed of climate change.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an interview at the United Nations headquarters … [+]
Key Facts
In the opening address at the global climate summit, Guterres said the world was “living through climate collapse in real time,” and the temperature record should “send shivers down the spines of world leaders.”
Guterres’ comments cite preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organization’s State of Global Climate report for 2023.
The report notes that the global average temperatures through the end of October this year are so much higher than 2016, the current hottest year on record, that the final two months are unlikely to alter the outcome.
Crucial Quote
Ahead of his speech, Guterres tweeted: “A full month before the end of the year, the data already points to 2023 being the hottest year recorded in human history.”
This is a developing story.