Islamabad, Jan 11: 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, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing climate crisis. This surge in temperature was driven by extraordinary land and sea surface temperatures and accompanied by extreme weather events that caused widespread destruction across the globe.
According to WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis, 2024 witnessed unprecedented ocean heat, along with severe climate impacts, including retreating glaciers and shrinking sea ice. The WMO’s findings, based on six international datasets, revealed that four of these datasets recorded a temperature increase that exceeded the critical 1.5°C threshold set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. Although two datasets did not surpass the 1.5°C mark, the overall trend emphasized the extent of global warming.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo described 2024 as part of a decade-long trend of record-breaking temperatures, warning that “every fraction of a degree of warming matters.” The organization stressed that even the smallest temperature increases significantly amplify the impact on ecosystems, economies, and human life.
The WMO also highlighted ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles as evidence of how climate change exacerbates extreme weather events. The fires were intensified by dry, warm, and windy conditions, compounded by earlier rainfall that boosted vegetation growth. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres echoed the WMO’s concerns, calling the findings further proof of accelerating global warming. Guterres urged governments to strengthen their climate action plans, stating, “Blazing temperatures in 2024 require trail-blazing climate action in 2025.”
A separate study on ocean warming, cited by the WMO, revealed that the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean reached unprecedented heat levels in 2024. The study showed that the ocean absorbed 90% of the excess heat from global warming, with the upper ocean storing 16 petajoules of heat between 2023 and 2024 equivalent to 140 times the world’s total electricity output.
Despite the Paris Agreement’s temperature targets being measured over decades, the WMO stressed the urgency of intensified climate action worldwide. The findings underscore the pressing need for global efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and prevent further warming that could have catastrophic consequences for the planet.
