2023 has been a challenging year for the planet. The Earth faced record temperature rises and pollution continued to claim millions of lives. But there is reason for hope as the year also saw countries coming together in unprecedented ways to save nature.
Those on the frontlines of the effort to tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste believe all is not lost. As the calendar is set to soon turn to 2024, let’s look back at the top environmental moments of 2023.
1. Ozone layer “on track” for recovery
In January, the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion – 2022 found the ozone layer, that protects the planet from ultraviolet radiation, could reach 1980 values over Antarctica by 2066 and over the Arctic by 2045. Experts attributed the rebound to the Montreal Protocol.
2. Nations try to restore freshwater sources
The month of March saw the Freshwater Challenge being launched. It is aimed at safeguarding and reviving 300,000 km of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands around the globe by 2030, representing the largest-ever wetland and river restoration effort.
3. Plastic pollution grabs notable attention
Celebrated on June 5, World Environment Day highlighted the scale of the plastic pollution crisis and released a group of potential solutions. Several governments made firm commitments on the day. The day grabs the globe’s attention, becoming the top-trending hashtag in Twitter.
4. Historic ‘high seas’ treaty in focus
In June as well, the UN formally adopted a pact that extends for the first time environmental protections to two-thirds of the ocean that lie beyond national jurisdictions. The so-called “high seas treaty’ throws a lifeline to marine biodiversity.
5. COP28 and the fossil fuel era
On December 12, the COP28 Summit in Dubai came to a close with a historic declaration as participants came together with a decision to transition away from polluting fossil fuels. The event also saw the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund.
Looking back at top natural calamities of 2023
2023 has been a significant year in terms of climate deals. The pacts are important as the past 12 months also recorded natural calamities of unprecedented intensities – from devastating earthquakes and serious cloudbursts to overwhelming floods and deadly wildfires.
Towards the beginning of the year, several buildings in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath in India developed cracks due to land subsidence. The next month saw a 7.8 magnitude earthquake jolting parts of Turkey and Syria, leaving as many as 59,259 people dead.
In September, Libya floods grabbed headlines across the globe. The incident killed more than 5,000 people and roughly 10,000 others went missing. The next month, the Sikkim cloudburst stayed in the limelight as the natural disaster claimed dozens of lives.
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Furthermore, a powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake jolted a mountainous region of northwestern China on December 18. Hundreds of people sustained injuries in multiple provinces and at least 149 others lost their lives. The tremors also left tens of thousands of houses damaged.
