The effects of human-driven climate change surged to alarming levels in 2024, with some consequences likely to be irreversible for centuries – if not millennia – according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The latest State of the Global Climate report confirms 2024 as the hottest year since records began 175 years ago, with a global mean temperature of 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels – surpassing the critical warming threshold of 1.5°C for the first time.
While a single year above 1.5°C doesn’t break the Paris Agreement’s long-term goals (a long-term average below 1.5°C), it is a stark warning of the urgent need for emissions reduction.
Multiple climate indicators also set new records. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are at their highest in 800,000 years, and the oceans continue to warm at unprecedented rates.
Glaciers and sea ice are rapidly melting, contributing to a rise in global sea levels that threatens coastal ecosystems and infrastructure worldwide.
Furthermore, tropical cyclones, floods, droughts, and other hazards last year led to the highest number of new displacements recorded in 16 years, contributing to worsening food crises, and fuelling massive economic losses.
