The planet broke all the wrong records in 2023

Last year was the hottest on record with hotspots all over the planet. This image from July 18, 2023, is of a billboard displaying the unusually high temperature of 118°F (48°C) in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. — AFP

HAPPY New Year for 2024 – although it’s hard to believe that we are almost done with January already. On the back of the hottest year on record, I hope we can look forward to a year in which we accelerate our collective action to protect the health of the planet and thereby protect the health of our civilisation.

I don’t want to be the new year killjoy but we’re breaking records right, left and centre at the moment, and not in a good way: