ChildrenplayatanartificialfountaintocooloffinSheratonhotelparkinDoha,Qatar,onJuly6,2023.(PhotobyNikku/Xinhua)"Thisannualreportshowsthattheclimatecrisisisthedefiningchallengethathumanityfaces,"WMOSecretary-GeneralCelesteSaulosaidatapressconferenceinGeneva.GENEVA,March19(Xinhua)--TheUnitedNations'(UN)climatechiefissuedaredalertonTuesdayasnewdatashowedthatrecordsforeverysingleclimateindicatorwereshatteredin2023.TheUN'sclimateagency,theWorldMeteorologicalOrganization(WMO),hasreleasedanewreportonthestateoftheglobalclimatein2023.Itshowsthatlastyear,recordswerebrokenforvariousclimatechangeindicatorslikegreenhousegaslevels,surfacetemperatures,oceanheatandacidification,risingsealevels,Antarcticseaicecoverandglacierretreat."Thisannualreportshowsthattheclimatecrisisisthedefiningchallengethathumanityfaces,"WMOSecretary-GeneralCelesteSaulosaidatapressconferenceinGeneva."Itiscloselyintertwinedwiththeinequalitycrisis,aswitnessedbygrowingfoodinsecurity,populationdisplacementandbiodiversityloss."Heatwaves,floods,droughts,wildfiresandrapidlyintensifyingtropicalcyclonesledtomiseryandmayhemlastyear,thereportunderlined,upendinglifeformillionsandinflictingmanybillionsofdollarsineconomiclosses.TheWMOconfirmedthat2023wasthewarmestyearonrecord,withanaverageglobaltemperatureof1.45degreesCelsius,withamarginofuncertaintyof0.12degreesCelsius,abovethepre-industriallevel.AmanstandsnexttohisfloodedhouseafteraheavydownpourinGarissaCounty,Kenya,onNov.22,2023.(PhotobyJoyNabukewa/Xinhua)"Neverhavewebeensoclose--albeitonatemporarybasisatthemoment--tothe1.5degreeCelsiuslowerlimitoftheParisAgreementonclimatechange,"saidtheWMOchief.Over90percentoftheoceanhadexperiencedheatwaveconditionsatsomepointduring2023,andaglobalsetofreferenceglacierssufferedthelargestlossoficeonrecord,theWMOreportshowed.Antarcticseaiceextentretreatedtoitslowestlevelever,with1millionsquarekilometersfewerattheendofwinterthanthepreviousrecordyear,equivalenttothesizeofFranceandGermanycombined."Earth'sissuingadistresscall,"UNSecretary-GeneralAntonioGuterressaidinavideomessageattheconference."ThelatestStateoftheGlobalClimatereportshowsaplanetonthebrink.Fossilfuelpollutionissendingclimatechaosoffthecharts."FirefighterscombatfireintheSerradoCocoforestareainRiachaodasNeves,Bahiastate,Brazil,Sept.22,2023.(PhotobyLucioTavora/Xinhua)Meanwhile,observedconcentrationsofthethreemaingreenhousegases--carbondioxide,methane,andnitrousoxide--reachedrecordlevelsin2022andcontinuedtoincreasein2023.Carbondioxidelevelsare50percenthigherthaninthepre-industrialera."ThelonglifetimeofCO2meansthattemperatureswillcontinuetoriseformanyyearstocome,"thereportwarned.Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.