CLIMATE CALL
2023.
When I try to think of ways to describe this year, I become stuck. The climate scientist in me gravitates to words such as concerning, extreme, extraordinary. The everyday citizen in me leans towards alarming, shocking, distressing. Both sides believe that 2023 will be a milestone in the Anthropocene.
Perhaps like me, you've been watching extreme weather predictions become observations. Perhaps like me, you've felt horror, frustration, fear or hopelessness. These feelings can be overwhelming, paralysing. But we can – we must – harness them to act. Now more than ever, we need to figure out how to navigate into our uncertain future.
How extraordinary was this year?
We have truly seen some remarkable extreme events these past 12 months.
Antarctic sea ice has declined dramatically over the past few years, and this year huge swathes of winter sea ice failed to form. It reached its maximum extent of just under 17 million square kilometres in early September, almost 9% below
