Record heat, melting glaciers and unprecedented pace warming oceans were the hottest year recorded in 2024, bringing irreversible results scientists are warning about for hundreds of years.
Global temperatures skyrocketed above the pre-industrial level and above the critical 1.5C threshold in 2024, confirmed by the World Weather Organization (WMO). We previously confirmed this in January this year as a report from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Services.
However, new details from the state of the WMO’s World Climate Report show how this heat has reshaped the planet, unlocking lasting damage to oceans, glaciers and ecosystems, and driving millions out of their homes.
“We’ve seen a lot of people living in the world,” said Linden Ashcroft, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at the University of Melbourne.
“I have provided comments like this throughout my career, but honestly, I’m not sure what to do next. Do you want to scream out these finds from the top of the building? Write my comments in the capital.
It’s not that the Paris Agreement, which uses long-term averages to track global warming, exceeding 1.5C in a year, has failed. However, scientists have warned that this year’s extreme heat is a clear indication that the planet is heading towards dangerous territory.
Dr. Paul Reid, director of UTS’ Future Emergency Resilience Network, said the world needs to wear “1.5 Worlds” on the orthotics. A third of the Arctic melts three times faster than elsewhere, causing the surrounding permafrost to melt.
“Your average 5 year old faces the future with seven times more heat waves, floods, droughts, crop breakdowns and wildfires,” he said.
However, WMO Executive Director Celeste Sauro highlighted the difference between the one-year spike and the long-term trends.
“Warming above 1.5c does not show that the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature targets are out of reach, but it is a wake-up call to raise the risks of our lives, our economy and our planet.”
The report shows that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reaches 420 copies per 420 copies, the highest level in at least 800,000 years, with no signs of slowing down. This rise in concentration promotes global heating, sea level rise and ocean acidification, threatening marine ecosystems and fisheries around the world.
Dr. Xuebin Zhang, the lead research scientist in the CSIRO environment, warned that these past emissions mean that some changes are inevitable at the moment.
“Even if emissions are reduced significantly, marine heat will continue to increase, leading to long-term sea level rise,” Dr. Zhang said.
“This dedicated response driven by past greenhouse gas emissions must be explained in the long-term climate adaptation plan.”
WMO recorded an unprecedented surge in ocean temperatures in 2024, reaching record highs for the eighth consecutive year. Currently, marine heat is rising twice the average from 1960 to 2005. This heat is expected to stimulate sea level rise for centuries, even if emissions drop sharply today.
According to WMO, sea levels rose 4.7 mm per year between 2015 and 2024. This rapid rise is currently pose an existential threat to lowland coastal communities around the world.
“Data for 2024 shows that our oceans continue to warm and sea levels continue to rise. The frozen parts of the Earth’s surface are melting at an astonishing rate. Glaciers continue to retreat, while extreme weather continues to be destroyed around the world.
Temperatures were raised in the first half of 2024 by the natural El Nino climate phenomenon, but remained very high in the second half of the year, even when El Nino dissipated.
According to a WMO report, the largest loss of glacial mass recorded so far was from 2022 to 2024. Antarctic sea ice has shrunk to the second lowest range on record, exacerbating the rapid losses of Arctic ice, which have all 18 lowest ranges in the past 18 years.
Dr Andrew King, an associate professor of climate science at the University of Melbourne, said the effects of the global warming are unmistakable.
“Not only is 2024 a record year for the Earth, we also saw record warm oceans and record high seas. Human fingerprints are also seen in the loss of sea ice and glacial mass, ocean acidification, and the increased frequency and intensity of extreme thermal events.”
The extreme weather phenomenon directly linked to the climate crisis has been the most shelter since 2008. Communities around the world have affected everyone, including Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam and the Philippines, Hurricanes Helen and Milton in the US, and Cyclone Chidow in Mozambique and Malawi.
Previous reports also found that greenhouse gas emissions have resulted in global thermal drives strengthening Spain’s rainfall, leading to suspicious flash floods.
Food security in 18 countries has been significantly exacerbated by these combined effects, exacerbated by floods, droughts and severe heat waves.
“This year’s WMO report makes that clear. Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It’s a living reality, ousting record numbers, straining food systems, and disrupting lives,” said Associate Professor Michele Burns, an expert on climate adaptation at the University of Sydney.
These warnings come before the key international climate negotiations in November 2025. The country is expected to present a new, stronger emissions target to the United Nations, with the decision to draw out the Paris Agreement and to strengthen fossil fuel production from a rollback of environmental regulations.
“Everything is very worrying, but obviously there is little concern to policymakers around the world, as there is no indication that the world will limit global warming to 1.5-2°C,” he said. “Our busy daily activities have resulted in thousands of years over centuries.”
Experts say the world needs an immediate shift from perception to decisive action.
“Incrementalism is no longer an option,” said Professor Martina Linnenruekke, director of the Centre for Climate Risk and Resilience at Sydney Institute of Technology.
Dr. Linnenluecke added that insurers have already retreated from high-risk regions and that “climate risks are no longer hypothetical, but economic reality.”
Professor Nick Golledge, also from the University of Wellington Antarctic Research Center, added that stabilized emissions at current levels are not sufficient and much more stringent policies are urgently needed.
“Strict mitigation is extremely important for us to maintain our habitable environment on the planet,” he warned.
Despite these warnings, WMO says it is still possible to limit damage by rapidly expanding climate services and early warning systems around the world. Currently, only half of the countries around the world have adequate protection against climate-related disasters.
“We are making progress, but we need to go further and we need to go faster,” said Celeste Sauro, WMO Secretary-General. “Investing in weather, water and climate services is more important than ever to address challenges and build safer and more resilient communities.”
