4 hours ago
Last Updated:January 10, 2025, 23:24 IST
Experts feel that the world is now entering a phase where temperatures will be consistently above the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold.
The planet’s average temperature in 2024 was 1.6 degrees Celsius higher than in 1850-1900 (Representative image)
The year 2024 was the hottest year on record, and the first with a global average temperature 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed on Friday.
The past 10 years (2015-2024) were the 10 warmest years on record, the UN weather agency said.
The European climate agency, Copernicus, said the average global temperature in 2024 was 15.1 degrees Celsius — 0.72 degrees above the 1991-2020 average and 0.12 degrees higher than that in 2023, the previous record-holder.
The WMO said the global average surface temperature in 2024 was 1.55 degree Celsius above the 1850-1900 baseline, the period before human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, began significantly impacting the climate.
However, a permanent breach of the 1.5-degree Celsius limit specified in the Paris Agreement refers to long-term warming over a 20 or 30-year period.
"Today’s assessment from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) proves yet again – global heating is a cold, hard fact," said UN Secretary-General Antóno Guterres.
"Individual years pushing past the 1.5 degree limit do not mean the long-term goal is shot. It means we need to fight even harder to get on track. Blazing temperatures in 2024 require trail-blazing climate action in 2025," he said.
“There’s still time to avoid the worst of the climate catastrophe. But leaders must act – now," he said.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said every fraction of a degree of warming matters.
"Whether it is at a level below or above 1.5 degree Celsius of warming, every additional increment of global warming increases the impacts on our lives, economies and our planet," she said.
Experts feel that the world is now entering a phase where temperatures will be consistently above the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold.
Harjeet Singh, climate activist and the founding director of Satat Sampada Climate Foundation, said the world is entering a new climate reality — one where extreme heatwaves, devastating floods, and intense storms will become increasingly frequent and severe.
"To prepare for this future, we must urgently scale up adaptation efforts across every level of society — redesigning our homes, cities, and infrastructure, and transforming how we manage water, food, and energy systems," he said.
Singh said the world must move from fossil fuels to clean energy quickly and fairly, making sure no one is left behind, and that rich countries have a bigger responsibility to take bold steps.
According to a study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, ocean warming in 2024 played a key role in the record high temperatures.
The ocean is the warmest it has ever been as recorded by humans, not only at the surface but also for the upper 2000 meters, according to the study led by Lijing Cheng with the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
About 90 per cent of the excess heat from global warming is stored in the ocean, making ocean heat content a critical indicator of climate change. From 2023 to 2024, the global upper 2000 m ocean heat content increase is 16 zettajoules (1021 Joules), about 140 times the world’s total electricity generation in 2023, according to the study.
The year 2024 will also be remembered as the year developed nations had their last big chance to prevent the world from permanently crossing the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold by funding climate action in the Global South, but that didn’t seem to materialise.
Relentless warming fuelled record-breaking heatwaves, deadly storms, and floods that devastated lives and homes by the thousands in 2024. Millions were displaced, and all eyes turned to the UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, hoping for a climate finance package capable of ramping up action in the Global South.
A study published in 2023 estimated that developed countries owe around USD 170 trillion for their excessive emissions, having consumed 70-90 per cent of the total carbon budget since the industrial era.
Instead, developed countries — mandated under the UN climate regime to finance climate action in developing countries — offered a paltry USD 300 billion by 2035, a mere fraction of the trillions needed annually from 2025.
While political will remains fragmented, science continues to remind the world that it’s an emergency.
In 2015, countries came together to limit global warming to "well below 2 degrees Celsius", aiming for 1.5 degrees Celsius. Fast forward, the world has already heated up by 1.3 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial era, largely due to burning fossil fuels.
To limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the UN’s climate science body, IPCC, says emissions must peak by 2025 and drop 43 per cent by 2030 and 57 per cent by 2035.
Yet, current policies point to a hotter future — around 3 degrees Celsius warming by 2100. Even if every country fulfils its climate promises or ly Determined Contributions (NDCs), emissions will only shrink by a weak 5.9 per cent by 2030, far below what’s needed.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI)Location : First Published:January 10, 2025, 23:24 IST
News world 2024 Becomes Warmest Year On Record, Crosses Key 1.5°C Threshold
