The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed on Friday that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures rising 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels.
Extraordinary land and sea surface temperatures, coupled with extreme weather events worldwide, caused widespread destruction, according to the WMO. Spokesperson Clare Nullis highlighted unprecedented ocean heat and severe climate impacts in 2024, including retreating glaciers and shrinking sea ice.
The findings, based on six international datasets, showed that four recorded a global temperature increase exceeding the critical 1.5°C threshold set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. While two datasets did not surpass this mark, the overall trend underscored significant global warming.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo described 2024 as part of a decade-long trend of record-breaking temperatures, stressing, “Every fraction of a degree of warming matters.” The organization warned that even minor temperature increases amplify the impact on ecosystems, economies, and human life.
The WMO also pointed to ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles as evidence of how climate change exacerbates extreme weather. Dry, warm, and windy conditions, intensified by earlier rainfall that boosted vegetation growth, contributed to the severity of the fires.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the WMO’s findings further proof of accelerating global warming and urged governments to strengthen their climate action plans. “Blazing temperatures in 2024 require trail-blazing climate action in 2025,” he stated.
The WMO also cited a separate study on ocean warming, which played a significant role in 2024’s record-breaking temperatures. The study revealed that the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean reached unprecedented heat levels, storing 90% of the excess heat from global warming. Between 2023 and 2024, the upper ocean absorbed 16 petajoules of heat—equivalent to 140 times the world’s total electricity output.
The organization emphasized that while the Paris Agreement’s temperature targets are measured over decades, the ongoing rise in global temperatures highlights the urgent need for intensified climate action worldwide.
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Who’s gonna tell rija the copy paste that every year is the same thing
Every year records hotter then the previous 1 .
Climate change is not affected by Paris or any other country or city paper work . It’s going to get hotter every year. You chose this.