Claire Nullis, spokeswoman for the United Nations Meteorological Agency, said that in 2024, land, sea surface and ocean temperatures were also recorded as unusually high.
Additionally, many countries around the world are affected by extreme weather events, destroying lives, livelihoods, hopes and dreams.
WMO spokeswoman Nullis said many of the effects of climate change have reduced the size of sea ice. “It was an extraordinary year.”
The World Meteorological Organization studied six international datasets for its analysis, four of which suggested global average temperatures were 1.5 degrees Celsius higher last year.
Pressure on Climate Agreements
The 1.5°C threshold is important because the 2015 Paris Agreement aimed to limit global temperature increases to below 2°C and 1.5°C above pre-industrial times.
According to the UN agency, the Paris Agreement is not yet finished, but there are serious threats to it. Under this, long-term rising trends in temperature are measured in decades rather than years.
“Climate history is happening before our eyes,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. We haven’t seen one or two record-breaking years, but we’ve had a 10-year streak like that.
“It’s important to understand that every fraction of a temperature increase matters, because even a small increase in global temperature affects our lives, economy and planet,” he said.
California wildfires
The forest and urban areas of the state of California in the United States have started an unprecedented devastation in the wildfires.
UN experts believe such incidents will become more severe as climate change increases the number of dry, hot, windy days throughout the year. 2024 marks the end of a decade in a row with record-shattering temperatures.
The UN Secretary General expressed concern at the WMO’s findings and described it as further evidence of global warming.
He called on all countries to develop ambitious national climate action plans to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and protect vulnerable populations from climate-devastating impacts.
On Thursday, the United Nations Secretary-General expressed deep sorrow over the flames and the resulting widespread destruction in the city of Los Angeles. At least five lives have been lost so far and more than a lakh people have been displaced as the raging forest fire quickly spread to urban areas.
The fire has so far burned thousands of acres, destroyed a large number of homes, and firefighters are scrambling to contain the fire and prevent further incidents.
A bank building is burning in Los Angeles, California.