2024 Confirmed as Warmest Year on Record, Highlighting Irreversible Climate Impacts
Global temperatures exceeded the critical 1.5°C threshold for the first time, with the WMO warning of profound and lasting environmental changes.
- The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that 2024's global average temperature was 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the warmest year ever recorded.
- This is the first calendar year where global temperatures surpassed the 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement, though limiting long-term warming is still achievable with decisive action.
- Irreversible climate effects, including accelerated sea level rise and record-breaking ice loss in the Arctic and Antarctic, were highlighted as major concerns.
- Oceans, which absorbed 90% of heat from greenhouse gases, reached their highest heat content for the eighth consecutive year, while atmospheric CO2 levels hit a record 420 ppm.
- Extreme weather events in 2024 displaced more people than any year since 2008, worsening food crises and causing significant economic losses globally.
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