In brief
With 2024 marking the hottest year ever recorded, the World Meteorological Organization reveals that all of the last ten years have exceeded previous heat records due to climate change, connecting rising temperatures to increased atmospheric greenhouse gas levels and severe weather instances globally.
With the year 2024 now confirmed as the hottest on record, a report from the World Meteorological Organization (W.M.O.) highlights that the last decade has seen the ten highest temperature years within nearly 200 years of monitoring. "This unprecedented trend emphasizes the gravity of our climate crisis," stated Chris Hewitt, director of the W.M.O.'s climate services. The report indicates that the Earth's surface temperature in 2024 surpassed the preindustrial average by roughly 1.55 degrees Celsius, marking a striking increase compared to the previous years.This record-breaking event is contextualized by the long-term effects of climate change that have led to increased energy within Earth's atmosphere and oceans, contributing to a rise in climate-related disasters. Extreme weather events, ranging from droughts to wildfires, have uprooted hundreds of thousands worldwide. The findings of this annual report, compiled with the expertise of various global institutions, reflect the escalating threat posed by climate change, with carbon dioxide levels reaching heights unseen in over two million years during 2024. This urges global discussions on how to combat the worsening impact of climate change on both nature and humanity.
