2024 confirmed as hottest year on record

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The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed on Friday that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures reaching 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels.

The WMO reported that extraordinary land and sea surface temperatures, coupled with extreme weather events worldwide, contributed to widespread destruction.

Photo: @WMO on X

WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis stated that 2024 saw unprecedented ocean heat and extreme climate impacts, including retreating glaciers and sea ice.

.The WMO's findings were based on six international datasets, with four indicating a global temperature increase above the 1.5°C threshold, a key target set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.

While two datasets did not exceed the 1.5°C mark, the overall trend highlighted significant warming.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasized that this year was part of a decade-long series of record-breaking temperatures. "It is essential to recognize that every fraction of a degree of warming matters," Saulo said.

The organization warned that even slight increases in global temperatures result in amplified impacts on ecosystems, economies, and human life.

The WMO also pointed to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles as evidence of climate change exacerbating extreme weather conditions, with dry, warm, and windy weather contributing to the fires’ severity.

Photo: Reuters

According to the WMO, these conditions were intensified by previous rains that fueled vegetation growth.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the WMO's findings further proof of global warming and urged governments to strengthen their climate action plans.

He stated, "Blazing temperatures in 2024 require trail-blazing climate action in 2025."

In addition to the temperature records, the WMO highlighted a separate study on ocean warming, which played a significant role in 2024’s high temperatures.

The study revealed that the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean reached record heat, storing 90% of the excess heat from global warming.

The upper ocean warmed by 16 zettajoules between 2023 and 2024, approximately 140 times the world’s total electricity output.

The WMO stressed that while the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goals are measured over decades, the ongoing rise in global temperatures underscores the urgent need for intensified global climate action.