2024 Set to be Hottest Year Ever Recorded

Why in the news?

2024 has seen record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather events, marking a decade of unprecedented heat. The UN and WMO warn of worsening climate change effects, urging immediate action to prevent further environmental breakdown.

2024 Set to be Hottest Year Ever Recorded

Extreme Climate Events in 2024:

  • The United Nations highlighted 2024 as a year of record-breaking heat and unprecedented climate events.
  • Extreme weather, including record rainfall, flooding, and devastating loss of lives, was observed worldwide, affecting every continent.
  • WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasized the increasing frequency and severity of these events, showcasing the tangible impacts of climate change.

Record Heat and Rising Emissions

  • 2024 is set to be the hottest year ever recorded, continuing a decade-long trend of unprecedented global heat.
  • The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported a January–September mean surface air temperature 1.54°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900).
  • Greenhouse gas emissions reached new highs, further intensifying global warming and locking in future heat impacts.

Call to Action: Avoiding Climate Breakdown

  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the current situation as “climate breakdown in real time.”
  • In his New Year’s address, he urged immediate global action to reverse the trajectory, warning against the “road to ruin.”
  • The WMO plans to release a comprehensive global temperature report for 2024 in January, followed by the full “State of the Global Climate 2024” report in March.

Sources Referred:

PIB, The Hindu, Indian Express, Hindustan Times