The World Meteorological Organization warns this year’s record-breaking heat is likely to continue in 2025, further accelerating climate change and leading to catastrophic consequences if urgent action is not taken to stem the “human activities” behind this looming disaster.
According to the United Nations weather agency, 2024 is set to be the warmest year on record, “capping a decade of unprecedented heat fueled by human activities.”
“Greenhouse gas levels continue to grow to record observed highs, locking in even more heat for the future,” the WMO said. The agency stresses the need for greater international cooperation to address extreme heat risks “as global temperatures rise, and extreme heat events become more frequent and severe.”
Celeste Saulo, who was appointed WMO secretary-general in June 2023 and began her four-year term in January 2024, said that in her first year in office she “issued repeated Red Alerts about the state of the climate” warning that “every fraction of a degree of warming matters, and increases climate extremes, impacts and risks.”
The WMO State of the Climate 2024 report finds that between January and September global average temperatures were 1.54 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times and above the level stipulated in the 2016 Paris Agreement on climate change.
This year’s U.N. Environment Program’s Emissions Gap report warns temperatures are likely to rise to 3.1 degrees Celsius by the end of the century if preventive action is not taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
“Climate change plays out before our eyes on an almost daily basis in the form of increased occurrence and impact of extreme weather events,” Saulo said. “This year we saw record-breaking rainfall and flooding events and terrible loss of life in so many countries, causing heartbreak to communities on every continent,” she said.
Tropical Cyclone Chido, which hit the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean in mid-December and then moved on to Mozambique, has had a devastating impact on the lives and livelihoods of the communities in its wake. However, this cyclone is only the latest of dozens of extreme weather events that have wreaked havoc across the globe this year.
According to a new report from the World Weather Attribution and Climate Central, climate change intensified 26 of the 29 extreme weather events studied “that killed at least 3,700 people and displaced millions.”
“Climate change added 41 days of dangerous heat in 2024, harming human health and ecosystems,” it said.
Extreme weather events have affected all regions of the world. Highlights include Hurricane Helene, which hit the U.S. state of Florida, causing widespread flooding and wind damage.
Heavy rains have caused severe flooding and mudslides in South America. Massive rains also have led to deadly flash flooding in Europe, notably in Spain, and generated historic flooding across West and Central Africa, killing more than 1,500 people.
These and other regions also have been affected by raging wildfires and severe drought causing hunger, irreparable suffering and harm, as well as enormous economic losses to countless millions.
“This is climate breakdown — in real time,” Antonio Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general warned in his New Year’s message. “We must exit this road to ruin, and we have no time to lose.
“In 2024, countries must put the world on a safer path by dramatically slashing emissions, and supporting the transition to a renewable future,” he said.
In response to the secretary-general’s call to action on extreme heat, a group of experts from 15 international organizations, 12 countries, and several leading academic and NGO partners met at WMO headquarters earlier this month to advance a coordinated framework for tackling this growing threat.
This plan is one of many WMO initiatives that aim to safeguard public health through improved climate services and early warnings.
As the U.N. weather agency prepares to mark its 75th anniversary in 2025, WMO officials say they will continue to coordinate worldwide efforts to observe and monitor the state of the climate and support international efforts “to mitigate and adapt to climate change.”
“Our message will be that if we want a safer planet, we must act now,” WMO chief Saulo said. “It is our responsibility. It is a common responsibility, a global responsibility.”
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