Planet earth may be issuing distress signals but a new report from World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) shows that limiting long-term global temperature rise to 1.5°C is still possible.
Best estimates of current global warming remain below 1.5℃
| Photo Credit: State of Global Climate Report, WMO
Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General, WMO, said a single year above 1.5°C of warming does not indicate long-term temperature goals of Paris Agreement are out of reach. “But it is a wake-up call that we are increasing the risks to our lives, economies and to the planet,” she said in response to a new WMO report.
Seize initiative, says UN
António Guterres, Secretary-General, UN, said leaders must step up to make it happen – “seizing benefits of cheap, clean renewables for their people and economies – with new national climate plans due this year.”
WMO’s State of the Global Climate report confirmed 2024 was likely the first calendar year to be more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era, with a global mean near-surface temperature of 1.55 ± 0.13°C above the 1850-1900 average. This is the warmest year in the 175-year observational record.
Global mean temperature 1850-2024 – difference from 1850-1900 average
| Photo Credit: State of Global Climate Report, WMO
New global highs, lows
Among others, atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is at highest levels in last 800,000 years. Globally, each of past 10 years was individually warmest year on record, and each of past eight years has set a new record for ocean heat content. Past 18 years yielded as many lowest Arctic sea-ice extents while rate of sea level rise doubled since satellite measurements began.
Record global temperatures seen in 2023 and broken in 2024 were mainly due to ongoing rise in greenhouse gas emissions, coupled with a shift from a cooling La Niña to warming El Niño event. Several other factors may have contributed, including changes in the solar cycle, a massive volcanic eruption and a decrease in cooling aerosols, according to the report.
Extreme weather events
Temperatures are just a small part of a much bigger picture, points out Celeste Saulo. “Data for 2024 show that oceans continued to warm, and sea levels continued to rise. Frozen parts of Earth’s surface, known as the cryosphere, are melting at an alarming rate: glaciers continue to retreat, and Antarctic sea ice reached its second-lowest extent ever recorded,” she added.
Extreme weather continues to have devastating consequences around the globe, the new WMO report said. Tropical cyclones, floods, droughts, and other hazards led to the highest number of new displacements recorded for the past 16 years, contributed to worsening food crises, and caused massive economic losses.
Early warning systems
WMO and global community are intensifying efforts to strengthen early warning systems and climate services to help decision-makers and society be more resilient to extreme weather and climate. “We are making progress but need to go further and need to go faster. Only half of all countries worldwide have adequate early warning systems. This must change,” Celeste Saulo said.
Role of humans
Clear signs of human-induced climate change reached new heights with some consequences being irreversible over hundreds, if not thousands of years. The report underlined massive economic and social upheavals from extreme weather. Investment in weather, water and climate services is more important than ever to meet challenges and build safer, resilient communities.
The report is based on scientific contributions from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, WMO Regional Climate Centres, UN partners and experts. It includes sidebars on monitoring global temperature for Paris Agreement, and understanding temperature anomalies in 2023 and 2024. It includes supplements on climate services and on extreme weather.
