By Bunmi Yekini
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has declared 2024 as the warmest year on record, marking a critical moment in the ongoing climate crisis. For the first time in history, the global mean temperature for a calendar year likely exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900), reaching an average of 1.55°C, with a margin of uncertainty of ±0.13°C.
“This is a stark reminder that global heating is a cold, hard fact,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. “Blazing temperatures in 2024 demand trail-blazing climate action in 2025. There is still time to avoid the worst climate catastrophes, but world leaders must act now.”
The announcement solidifies a decade-long streak of record-breaking warmth, with 2015-2024 being the warmest 10 years on record. The findings are based on six international datasets, including contributions from NASA, NOAA, the UK Met Office, and Japan Meteorological Agency.
The study highlights that the ocean, which absorbs 90% of excess heat from global warming, reached its highest temperature ever recorded. A separate report published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences found that ocean heat content increased by an unprecedented 16 zettajoules in 2024.
“Climate history is unfolding before our eyes,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “The relentless warming of the planet, fueled by human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, is triggering devastating weather events, rising sea levels, and melting ice.” Saulo emphasized that while a single year surpassing 1.5°C does not signify failure of the Paris Agreement’s long-term goals, it underscores the urgency of keeping warming below critical thresholds.
The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C, with efforts to cap it at 1.5°C. However, short-term temperature spikes, exacerbated by phenomena like El Niño, have highlighted the precariousness of this goal. “The long-term goal of the Paris Agreement is not dead but in grave danger,” said Guterres. “Governments must deliver new national climate action plans immediately.”
WMO plans to release a comprehensive State of the Global Climate 2024 report in March 2025, detailing key climate indicators such as greenhouse gas emissions, glacier retreat, and sea-level rise.