Geneva, Dec 30: The United Nations declared 2024 the warmest year ever recorded, capping a decade of unprecedented heat and escalating extreme weather events. The global temperature surge, fueled by record greenhouse gas emissions, has intensified the urgency for coordinated international action, the UN and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported Monday.
“This is climate breakdown in real time,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, emphasizing the need for immediate measures. “We must exit this road to ruin—and we have no time to lose.”
The WMO revealed that the average global surface air temperature from January to September 2024 was 1.54°C above pre-industrial levels, surpassing the 2023 record of 1.45°C. All of the 10 hottest years on record have occurred within the past decade, highlighting the accelerating pace of global warming.
Climate change exacerbated devastating natural disasters worldwide in 2024:
- Tropical cyclones wreaked havoc, notably in Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.
- Record-breaking rainfall and floods caused widespread destruction, displacing millions and claiming lives across continents.
- Extreme heatwaves pushed temperatures beyond 50°C in several regions, while wildfires devastated ecosystems and communities.
“Every degree of warming matters,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said. “This year we saw record-breaking rainfall and flooding events and terrible loss of life in so many countries, causing heartbreak to communities on every continent.”
A report by World Weather Attribution (WWA) found climate change amplified 26 of the 29 extreme weather events studied in 2024, resulting in at least 3,700 deaths. Dangerous heat conditions, driven by global warming, extended by 41 days this year, the study said.
Greenhouse gas emissions surged to new records in 2024, locking in additional warming for the future. This alarming trend jeopardizes the 2015 Paris Climate Accord’s target of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Guterres urged nations to prioritize dramatic emissions reductions and a shift to renewable energy in 2025 to avert worsening climate impacts. “In 2025, countries must put the world on a safer path by dramatically slashing emissions and supporting the transition to a renewable future,” he said. “It is essential, and it is possible.”
The findings underscore the growing need for global collaboration to combat heat risks, mitigate extreme weather, and secure a sustainable future for humanity and the planet.
The full State of the Global Climate 2024 report will be published in March 2025.
