Heatwaves, floods, and storms hit the world in 2024 like never before. A new report by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says climate change indicators reached record levels in 2024, leading to 152 “unprecedented” climate disasters worldwide.
According to the WMO’s report, 2024 was the warmest year in the 175-year observational record, while the previous record dating from 2023 – with the 10 hottest years on record all occurring in the last decade.
The latest WMO #StateOfClimate report details the spiralling effects of weather and climate impacts. Extreme weather continues to bring devastating consequences globally, with the report also highlighting significant economic and social upheavals.https://t.co/wQnZfcl79A pic.twitter.com/Wa94dRGbeh
— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) March 19, 2025
The long-term warming (averaged over decades) might remain below 1.5°C, however, 2024’s near-surface temperature was 1.55 ± 0.13 °C above the 1850-1900 average. Some of the highest temperatures were recorded in Carnarvon in Western Australia (49.9°C), the city of Tabas in Iran (49.7°C), and Mali (48.5°C).
“Over the course of 2024, our oceans continued to warm, sea levels continued to rise, and acidification increased. The frozen parts of Earth’s surface, known as the cryosphere, are melting at an alarming rate: glaciers continue to retreat, and Antarctic sea ice reached the second-lowest extent ever recorded. Meanwhile, extreme weather continues to have devastating consequences around the world”, says Professor Celeste Saulo, Secretary General of the WMO.
Extreme weather had 800,000 people displaced and made homeless, an absolute record since 2008, when numbers were first registered. The WMO lists 152 climate disasters as “unprecedented”, which means they were worse than any ever recorded in the region. These include Super Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam, six typhoons under a month in the Philippines and record rains in Italy.
Time to take (political) action
Despite the fact that those climate disasters were hugely linked to climate change, global carbon emissions haven’t stopped rising. Scientists are urging political leaders, specifically the President of the US, Donald Trump, to take the matter seriously.
“Leaders must step up – seizing the benefits of cheap, clean renewables for their people and economies – with new national climate plans due this year,” said the UN secretary-general, António Guterres.
While meeting the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement isn’t necessarily out of reach, action is needed to limit global warming and its effect on our living conditions. According to Celeste Saulo, the WMO is trying to strengthen early warning systems and climate services in order to be more resilient to extreme weather and climate. However, more and quicker actions are needed.
“Investment in National Meteorological and Hydrological Services is more important than ever to meet the challenges and build safer, more resilient communities. Authoritative scientific information and knowledge is necessary to inform decision-making in our rapidly changing world, and this report provides the latest science-based update on the state of our knowledge of key climate indicators”, Professor Paulo writes.
With temperatures being higher than ever and climate change ongoing, many scientists are warning the Earth is entering uncharted territory. The impact it will have on the coming decade remains uncertain.
