Ocean Generation - an Ocean charity and experts in Ocean health - provides a timeline of almost all the extreme weather events and Ocean wins that have taken place in 2023. In the face of the climate crisis, understanding what has happened on our planet - ahead of COP28 - is critical to propelling the change our Ocean and planet needs.

1. Afghanistan
Temperatures plunged to -28°C
77 killed
77,000 livestock killed
Europe
Ski resorts closed due to
lack of snowfall
Chile
270,000 hectares of land
destroyed
24 killed
California
Significant flooding, power
outages and landslides
21 killed
1,400 rescued
South Sudan
Historic flooding
1 million people impacted
No dry season in half a
decade.
Southern Africa
Cyclone Freddy made landfall
multiple times
Over 1,000 killed
Over 2 million impacted
Brazil
Floods and landslides
Over 65 killed
Temperature records broken
Storms, floods and landslides
Wildfires
Ocean wins
Key
JAN FEB

2. MAR APR
Malaysia
50,000 evacuated
4 killed
Deep-sea reef discovery
Scientists discovered a pristine coral
reef approx.1.2 miles long in the
Galápagos marine reserve.
Rwanda
Over 130 killed
Farmland and businesses
devastated
Myanmar and Bangladesh
Cyclone Mocha
750,000 evacuated in Bangladesh
6 killed
Italy
40,000 displaced
15 killed
High Seas Treaty
Nearly 70 countries signed the first-ever
treaty to protect the high seas and
preserve 30% of the Ocean by 2030.
MAY
Temperature records broken
Storms, floods and landslides
Wildfires
Ocean wins
Key

3. South-western USA
>43°C for 31 consecutive days
25 killed in Arizona
Northern Hemisphere
Hottest summer on record
Global average temperature
+0.66°C above 1991-2020
average.
Canada
45.7M acres impacted
Parts of North America
engulfed in air pollution
6 killed
Europe
Holidaymakers evacuated from Rhodes
Fires also in: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey,
Croatia, France
Hawaii
Buildings and homes
destroyed
97 killed
China
Typhoon Doksuri
Tens of thousands displaced
33 killed
South Korea
Flooded road tunnel
41 killed
Highest ever Ocean surface
temperature
Severe bleaching and
significant coral mortality in the
Caribbean.
Shark fin legislation (UK)
A ban on import and export of
detached shark fins, including all
products containing shark fins.
Temperature records broken
Storms, floods and landslides
Wildfires
Ocean wins
Key
JUL
JUN AUG

4. SEP OCT
Antarctic sea ice
Lowest mean winter ice
extent ever observed.
1.03 million km squared
below previous record
Hottest month on record
Most anomalous warm month of
any year on record.
Average temperature +0.93°C
warmer than 1991-2020 baseline
Cameroon
30 homes destroyed
50 injured
27 killed
India
Melting Glacier Lake
Infrastructure destroyed
77 killed
Libya
Derna “practically flattened”
Over 11,000 dead
Thousands remain missing
Brazil
60 cities impacted
27 killed
Improved single-use plastic
regulation (UK)
Includes single-use plastic
cutlery, balloon sticks,
polystyrene cups and food
containers.
Pause on deep-sea mining
Suspension of deep-sea mining
until enough available scientific
evidence to understand
ecosystem impacts.
Temperature records broken
Storms, floods and landslides
Wildfires
Ocean wins
Key