Last year set a new record as the hottest year globally, with all of the past decade’s top 10 hottest years observed within this period. The levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have now hit an 800,000-year peak, according to a report released on Wednesday.
The World Meteorological Organization’s latest State of the Climate report highlights the escalating indicators of global warming. Oceans have reached unprecedented temperature levels, sea levels continue to rise, and glaciers are retreating faster than recorded.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the earth’s worsening condition, as highlighted by the report. However, the international goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels remains within reach. He urged leaders to capitalize on the advantages of affordable, clean renewables to achieve this target.
The report identifies human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, as primary contributors to the warming. Additionally, the natural El Nino weather pattern played a role by forming in June 2023 and dissipating a year later, further elevating temperatures and contributing to record highs. In 2024, the world temporarily exceeded the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold for the first time; however, this measure is considered breached only when sustained over a more extended period.
This global temperature rise is linked to intensifying extreme weather events, which have caused heightened levels of displacement for the last 16 years, amplified food crises, and resulted in substantial economic losses. The year 2024 alone saw at least 151 extreme weather episodes deemed “unprecedented” by the report.
WMO’s Secretary-General, Celeste Saulo, stressed the severity of the situation, highlighting the heightened risks to lives, economies, and the planet.
Meanwhile, the report’s alarming findings emerge amid actions by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has rolled back several climate commitments and expressed skepticism about climate science. As the current second-largest polluter and historically the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, the U.S. stance raises concerns about potentially diminishing ambitions from other countries.
Brenda Ekwurzel from the Union of Concerned Scientists in the U.S. stressed the undeniable nature of climate science, emphasizing that obscuring it won’t shield the public from the severe impacts of climate change.
Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate issued a stark warning on the consequences of delaying emissions reductions, stating that the longer action is postponed, the more severe the outcomes will become. “Phasing out fossil fuels is not an option, but an urgent measure needed to address the unfolding crisis we face,” she asserted.
