2023 REPORTS AND PAPERS

U.S. STILL A PART OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT

President Biden signed an executive order on January 20, 2021 to rejoin the Paris Agreement, formally rejoining on February 19, 2021.

THE FIFTH NATIONAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT REPORT RELEASED

In November,  the U.S. Global Change Research Program published this report, mandated by Congress, highlighting the ways in which all regions in the U.S. are currently experiencing harmful impacts of climate change. This assessment is a technical scientific document with 32 chapters covering various aspects of climate change, including physical science, national-level sectors (like water, energy, and agriculture), and response strategies (mitigation and adaptation). It builds upon four previous assessments.

KEY UN REPORTS

• In March, the IPCC published  the AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023.This 4^th and last volume (the first was released in 2021) of the Sixth Assessment Report warned that “widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred. Human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. This has led to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people. Vulnerable communities who have historically contributed the least to current climate change are disproportionately affected.” 
• The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) released three other special reports in 2023. 
• The International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) produced An Eye on Methane: The road to radical transparencydedicated to uncovering where methane emissions come from and strategies to reduce them globally. 
• Emissions Gap Report 2023: Broken Record- Temperatures hit new highs, yet world fails to cut emissions (again)finds that since the Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions went down from a projection of increasing 16% by 2030 to increasing 3%. However, in order to meet the Paris Agreement’s goals, GHG emissions must fall by at least 28% (or 45% for 1.5 degrees C). 
• Finally, UNEP released One Atmosphere: An Independent Expert Review on Solar Radiation Modification Research and Deployment which convenes a multidisciplinary panel for research on Solar Radiation Modification. 

THE LANCET REPORT

The Lancet released their 8th annual Countdown Report: The 2023 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: The imperative for a health-centered response in a world facing irreversible harms. This critical publication analyzes the strain on global public health and healthcare systems from the climate crisis, emphasizing the health risks of extreme weather, the accelerated spread of infectious diseases, and increased respiratory diseases. The ultimate message is succinct and clear: “The world is moving in the wrong direction.” 

THE WMO REPORT

The World Meteorological Organization published the 2^nd in a series of reports: The Global Climate 2011-2020: A decade of accelerating climate change.. This multi-agency report summarizes the state of the climate, extreme events, and their socio-economic impacts from 2011-2020. Some key findings: 2011-2020 was the warmest decade on record, both land and ocean; ocean warming, ocean acidification and sea level rise increased; and concentrations of the three major greenhouse gases continued to increase over the decade.