The year 2024 is set to become the warmest year in recorded history, marking the culmination of a decade of unprecedented heat fuelled by human activities, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced December 30, 2024.
“Today I can officially report that we have just endured a decade of deadly heat. The top ten hottest years on record have happened in the last ten years, including 2024,” said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his message for the New Year.
According to an evaluation by the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth, climate change-driven extreme weather events were more frequent and severe in India in 2024 compared to the previous two years.
The WMO plans to release the consolidated global temperature data for 2024 in January and a comprehensive State of the Global Climate 2024 report in March 2025.
Record-breaking rainfall triggered catastrophic floods in multiple regions, while heatwaves saw temperatures soar beyond 50°C in some areas. Devastating wildfires consumed vast swathes of forests, with significant losses to biodiversity and property.
According to the WMO’s report When Risks Become Reality: Extreme Weather, climate change contributed to 41 additional days of dangerous heat in 2024, posing severe risks to human health and ecosystems. Furthermore, World Weather Attribution studies found that climate change intensified 26 of the 29 major weather events analysed, which collectively claimed over 3,700 lives and displaced millions.
“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,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. She emphasised the urgency of action: “Every fraction of a degree of warming matters, and increases climate extremes, impacts, and risks.”
Looking ahead, 2025 has been designated as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, with WMO and UNESCO spearheading efforts to safeguard the Earth’s critical cryosphere.