Once again, scientists are raising the alarm. Rising temperatures on land and in the seas, increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, rising sea levels… records continue to break with impacts that could be irreversible.
« The clear signs of human-induced climate change have reached new highs in 2024, with some consequences being irreversible over hundreds, even thousands, of years, » says the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in a statement on the release of its latest climate report on March 19.
However, UN Secretary-General António Guterres notes that « this report shows that it is still possible to limit long-term global temperature rise to 1.5°C. » « Leaders must take action to achieve this, leveraging the benefits of clean, cheap renewable energy for their populations and economies, and developing new national climate action plans that must be presented this year, » he stressed.
Increasing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide has never been as high in the last 800,000 years. These gases are responsible for the greenhouse effect that warms the planet.
Globally, each of the past ten years has been one of the ten hottest ever recorded. The report indicates that long-term global warming is currently estimated to be between 1.34°C and 1.41°C compared to the 1850-1900 reference level. In 2024, the warming was 1.5°C.
The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, called for actions to keep temperature rise below 1.5°C by the end of the century, a threshold that is nearly reached with almost 70 years to spare.
« While a single year of warming above 1.5°C does not mean that the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement are out of reach, it serves as an alarm signal indicating that we are increasing the risks to our lives, economies, and the planet, » says WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
Dramatic Impacts on the Oceans
« Data for 2024 shows that our oceans have continued to warm and that sea levels have continued to rise, » said Celeste Saulo. Each of the past eight years has set a new record for ocean temperature. In 2024, the thermal content of the oceans will reach its highest level in 65 years. Warming is accelerating.
Indeed, the rate of ocean warming over the past two decades (2005-2024) is more than twice that of the 1960-2005 period.
The rate of sea level rise has doubled since the start of satellite measurements. Between 2015 and 2024, the sea level rise was 4.7 mm per year, nearly 5 cm in 10 years. The rise was 2.1 mm per year between 1993 and 2002.
Sea level rise has cascading consequences for ecosystems and coastal infrastructure, including flooding and contamination of groundwater by saline water.
Record Ice Melt and Cryosphere Loss
« The frozen parts of Earth’s surface, known as the cryosphere, are melting at an alarming rate: glaciers continue to recede, and Antarctic sea ice has reached its second-lowest extent ever recorded, » she added.
The mass of glaciers continues to decrease. The largest losses recorded last year occurred in Norway, Sweden, Svalbard, and the tropical Andes.
Population Displacement, Food, and Economic Crises
Tropical cyclones, floods, droughts, and other extreme weather events that occurred in 2024 led to the highest number of new displacements recorded in the last 16 years.
These events destroyed homes, essential infrastructure, forests, agricultural land, and biodiversity.
Tropical cyclones, such as Chido, which ravaged the French island of Mayotte last December, were responsible for many high-impact events in 2024. They contributed to worsening food crises and caused massive economic losses.
Improving Early Warning Systems
In response to this situation, the WMO and the international community are intensifying efforts to strengthen early warning systems and climate services to help policymakers and society as a whole better cope with extreme weather and climate events.
« We are making progress, but we need to go further and faster. Only half of the countries in the world have adequate early warning systems. This must change, » said Celeste Saulo.
Source: unric
