Human Lives Human Rights: The European Union’s Copernicus Global Climate Report has substantiated that 2023 stands as the hottest year ever documented, a revelation that amplifies the gravity of the climate emergency, asserts Ann Harrison.
“This alarming record signals an alarming acceleration in global climate warming, presenting increasingly dire consequences for human rights. With greenhouse gas emissions soaring to unprecedented levels, we find ourselves thrust into a deeply concerning era of climate instability.
“This surge in temperatures exacerbates heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, intensified rainfall, and fiercer storms, all of which pose catastrophic risks to the environment, biodiversity, and vulnerable populations.
“Within just eight years of the Paris climate agreement, the 1.5ºC threshold for global temperature rise set as a protective measure against the worst impacts of climate change has nearly been exhausted.
“In the face of this crisis, governments must urgently champion an equitable shift towards renewable energy sources. However, too often, they opt to disregard or dilute prior climate commitments and shirk their human rights obligations. The pervasive influence of corporations over domestic and global policymaking sacrifices the rights of the majority in favor of the profits of a privileged few.
“Indigenous communities, often exemplifying exemplary environmental stewardship, disproportionately bear the brunt of climate change and fossil fuel exploitation, as many of the planet’s remaining fossil fuel reserves lie beneath their ancestral territories.
“To combat the stranglehold of fossil fuels, civil society, enlightened governments, multilateral institutions, scientists, and climate activists must employ diverse strategies to end fossil fuel financing and usage.”
Background:
The Copernicus Global Climate Report reveals that the global average temperatures in 2023 soared to a record 14.98ºC, marking a staggering 1.48ºC increase above pre-industrial levels. Although Copernicus’ records date back to 1850, scientists suspect 2023 was the hottest 12-month period in the past 100,000 years. The El Niño phenomenon, believed to have exacerbated the temperature surge in 2023, is anticipated to persist well into 2024. The climate crisis imperils the universal right to a clean, sustainable environment and other fundamental rights, including the rights to life, health, adequate housing, and a decent standard of living.
