The last two years have shattered records for global average temperatures, pushing past a critical threshold for the first time in history, according to a report released Friday by Europe’s climate monitoring agency. The findings arrive amid escalating calls from the United Nations for “trail-blazing” climate initiatives to stave off the worst impacts of a warming planet. In a stark warning, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that global average surface temperatures in 2024 rose 1.55 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a figure that exceeds the 1.5-degree target established in the 2015 Paris Agreement. While experts caution that surpassing this limit for a single year does not signify a permanent breach, it underscores the urgency of reversing the trend. The blazing temperatures demand “trail-blazing” action, said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in a statement. “There’s still time to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe. But leaders must act – now,” the statement read. The extreme heat of 2024 fueled climate disasters across the globe, causing economic damages estimated at over USD 300 billion (EGP 15 trillion). From devastating wildfires in California to deadly floods in Europe and Africa,…
2024 Declared Hottest Year on Record as Global Temperatures Cross Critical Threshold
January 11, 2025
