U.N. alerts on climate as four key markers broke records in 2021

Four key indicators of climate change broke records in 2021. That’s according to a report from the World Meteorological Organization. This concerns greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level rise, temperature and ocean acidification.
The UN is issuing a serious warning about the climate. Four key markers of climate change have indeed broken new records last year, including temperatures. Indeed, some years are warmer than others. But now, what is striking is that the last seven years have been the seven warmest ever recorded. Even more exceptional, these temperature records are in addition to three other records broken in 2021: greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level and ocean acidification.

It is a physical phenomenon: when water warms up, it becomes more acidic. These three climate markers are breaking records every year as humans emit more and more CO2, warming the water which becomes more acidic and melting the ice.

The “global energy system is broken” for the UN

“The global energy system is broken and is bringing us closer and closer to an environmental catastrophe,” UN Secretary Antonio Guterres said Wednesday morning, calling for the immediate abandonment of fossil fuels. “We must end fossil fuel pollution and accelerate the transition to renewable energy before we incinerate our only home. Time is running out,” he urged.

Global warming has already passed the one-degree mark. Despite all the rhetoric about the urgency of saving the planet, all the markers remain stuck in the red.