Geneva – The United Nations has issued a stark warning about the escalating impacts of climate change, as 2024 is set to become the warmest year ever recorded. The UN’s weather and climate agency highlighted a decade of unprecedented heat, with greenhouse gas emissions reaching new record highs.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasized the daily reality of climate change, marked by increased extreme weather events, record-breaking rainfall, and devastating floods. Tropical cyclones and intense heat waves, with temperatures exceeding 50°C, have caused significant human and economic tolls worldwide.
The 2015 Paris climate accords aimed to limit global warming to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with an aspirational target of 1.5°C. However, the WMO reported that the January to September mean surface air temperature in 2024 was 1.54°C above the pre-industrial average, surpassing the previous record set in 2023.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reflected on the past decade of extreme heat, urging immediate action to reduce emissions and transition to renewable energy. “We must exit this road to ruin – and we have no time to lose,” he stated, calling for decisive measures in 2025 to ensure a safer future.