Climate change in 2024 hits ‘irreversible’ levels as global temperatures break new records

In its latest State of the Global Climate report, the WMO said 2024 was the warmest year on record and likely the first to be more than 1.5C above the pre-industrial level as many parts of the globe were forced to deal with the massive economic and social upheavals from extreme weather.

In response to the WMO findings, United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres said all the data shows us that, while the outlook is not good, limiting long-term global temperature rise to 1.5C is “still possible”.

“Leaders must step up to make it happen, seizing the benefits of cheap, clean renewables for their people and economies with new national climate plans due this year,” he said.

The report from the WMO also found:

• Atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide at its highest levels in the last 800,000 years;
• Each of the last 10 years were individually the warmest ever on record;
• New records have been set for ocean heat in each of the last eight years;
• The three lowest ever Antarctic ice extents were recorded in the last three years;
• And the rate of sea level rise has doubled since satellite measurements began.

WMO secretary general Celeste Saulo said it all added up to a “wake-up call that we are increasing the risks to our lives, economies and to the planet”.

Massive economic losses

“Data for 2024 show that our oceans continued to warm, and sea levels continued to rise,” she said.

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 its second-lowest extent ever recorded. Meanwhile, extreme weather continues to have devastating consequences around the world.”

She said tropical cyclones, floods, droughts and other extreme events in 2024 led to worsening food crises and massive economic losses.

In response, she said the WMO and the global community are stepping up efforts to strengthen early warning systems and climate services to help societies be more resilient to extreme weather and climate.

Ms Saulo said: “We are making progress, but need to go further and need to go faster. Only half of all countries worldwide have adequate early warning systems. This must change.” 

'Proactive action'

Meanwhile, the Climate Change Advisory Council has said Ireland must establish a national register to monitor and record the economic, social, and environmental impacts of extreme weather events.

It said climate change’s fingerprints are increasingly evident in the scale and frequency of extreme weather events here, adding that we needed to urgently adapt to this situation.

It cited the recent impacts of devastating storms such as Storm Éowyn as demonstrating the need for decisive steps.

“The time to act is now,” its chair, Peter Thorne, said.

“Government cannot procrastinate any longer. Proactive action can and must improve our preparedness for and response to rapidly emerging climate risks, to protect and support people, and future-proof our communities. 

This must be underpinned by robust climate data and services.

“If we do not put the structures and resources in place, we will increasingly expose people and communities to the destructive effects of extreme weather events — magnifying future costs and risks to society.”