The year 2024 was the warmest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
According to their report, the past 10 years, from 2015 to 2024, have been the warmest years on record. The findings, based on six international datasets, showed that the goal average surface temperature was 1.55 °C (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.13 °C) above the 1850-1900 average.
This means that 2024 had a global mean temperature of more than 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average.
In a separate study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, ocean heat had a significant role in the world’s record-high temperatures. Researchers recorded that the ocean is the warmest it has ever been. Moreover, about 90 % of the excess heat from global warming is stored in the sea.
From 2023 to 2024, the ocean heat content increased by 16 zettajoules, which is about 140 times the world’s total electricity generation in 2023.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stated that the 10 warmest years on record were marked by “devastating and extreme weather, rising sea levels, and melting ice,” all driven by unprecedented greenhouse gas levels caused by human activities.
Nevertheless, there is still hope. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that while some individual years have exceeded the 1.5-degree limit, it does not mean the long-term goal is unattainable. However, it underscores the need for organizations to intensify efforts to get back on track.
