The United Nations weather agency said on Wednesday that record amounts of greenhouse gases contributed to 2024’s record-breaking temperatures, hastening the melting of sea ice and glaciers, increasing sea levels, and pushing the planet closer to a critical warming threshold.
In its annual climate report, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) stated that last year’s average annual mean temperatures were 1.55 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels, breaking the previous record set in 2023 by 0.1°C.
In the 2015 Paris Agreement, nations committed to limiting global warming to 1.5°C over the average for the years 1850–1900.
According to the WMO, preliminary estimates place the current long-term average increase between 1.34°C and 1.41°C, approaching but not yet surpassing the Paris barrier.
