[Global Warming. Photo Credit to Pixabay]

In 2023, the earth's surface temperature reached its highest recorded level, according to the '2023 Annual Global Temperature Anomaly' published by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies on January 12, 2024.

The global temperature in 2023 was approximately 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.1 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average for NASA's baseline period (1951-1980).

In comparison to the pre-modern weather records starting from 1880, temperatures have risen by around 1.4°C.

The rate of global warming is also significantly accelerating.

From 1880 to 1980, the Earth's temperature increased by about 0.2°C for over a century; presently, it has risen by 1.2°C in the last 40 years.

The warming rate between 1970 and 2010 was about 0.18°C per decade, but at the current trajectory, the Earth is warming by at least 0.27°C every decade.

At this rate, the earth is expected to reach the 1.5°C upper limit agreed upon at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) held in Paris in 2016 within the next decade.

In 2023, the world grappled with severe heat waves, setting consecutive monthly high-temperature records consecutively from June to December.

These extreme conditions are primarily attributed to fossil fuel emissions which lead to increased occurrences of climate disasters such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, superstorms, and large-scale wildfires.

These events resulted in numerous casualties, displacements, and losses in billions of dollars in property damages.

Since the signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, and the COP1 held in Berlin, Germany in 1995 to discuss specific implementation strategies, the COP28 to the UNFCCC was convened on December 28, 2023.

In 1995, the parties committed to stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system.

Despite this commitment, carbon dioxide emissions at that time of 29 billion tons is comparatively lower to this year's emissions that stand at 41 billion tons.

Additionally, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were 361 ppm back then, comparatively lower than the current level of 419 ppm.

At the time of the convention, global temperatures were approximately 0.7 degrees Celsius higher than the period from 1880 to 1920.

Now, temperatures have risen by an additional 1.2 degrees Celsius.

Although there have been numerous international agreements and commitments, the levels of CO2 emissions and atmospheric concentrations have continued to increase, leading to a significant escalation in global temperatures since the inception of climate discussions in the 1990s.

The United Arab Emirates, the host country for COP28, has crafted a joint declaration calling on all nations to transition away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

They emphasized that "true success lies in faithful implementation" and strongly encouraged practical actions beyond mere verbal commitments to translate the agreement into visible actions.

The agreement adopted at the UN Climate Summit must receive unanimous approval from all participating country delegations, and each nation bears the responsibility to implement the agreement through policies and investments.

The joint declaration adopted on this day particularly advocates for achieving carbon neutrality (net-zero) in the energy system by 2050 in a just, orderly, and fair manner, moving away from fossil fuels.

It also advocates for tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030, accelerating efforts to reduce coal usage, and advancing technologies like Carbon Capture and Storage for carbon-intensive industries struggling with decarbonization.

This historic agreement, where countries pledge collective commitment to transition away from coal, oil, and gas, responsible for 80% of global energy, is unprecedented.

Scientists have hailed it as a groundbreaking declaration determining the 'fate' of fossil fuels, the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change.

The transition entails a shift from fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) to geographically suitable carbon-zero energy sources (wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, bioenergy, nuclear).

Countries are expected to build resilience by connecting power grids with neighboring nations for energy source diversification, reducing costs, transitioning to electric vehicles, producing industrial hydrogen, enhancing agricultural productivity, and phasing out deforestation.

In the face of the climate crisis, efforts must be made to protect our home planet, its inhabitants, and the current and future generations.