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2024: Warmest Year on Record, Climate Crisis Accelerates
The UN's WMO reports 2024 is on track to be the warmest year on record, exceeding the 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold. The report details the accelerating impacts of climate change and criticizes insufficient government action.
German
Germany
Climate ChangeEnergy SecurityExtreme WeatherGlobal WarmingSea Level RiseEnvironmental Crisis
United NationsWorld Meteorological Organization (Wmo)Eu-Klimawandeldienst Copernicus
Celeste Saulo
- What are some of the alarming trends in ocean and ice conditions reported by the WMO?
- The acceleration of ocean warming, glacier melt, and sea-level rise, combined with the devastating effects of extreme weather, underscore the severity and urgency of the climate crisis. The report stresses the irreversible nature of some of these changes, impacting the planet for centuries.
- What is the main finding of the WMO's 2024 report on the state of the global climate?
- The UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has declared the highest level of climate alert, reporting that the global average temperature from January to September 2024 was 1.54 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This makes 2024 on track to be the warmest year on record.
- What long-term changes are highlighted in the report, and what is their significance?
- The ten-year period from 2015 to 2024 was the warmest decade on record, with oceans reaching unprecedented warmth. Ocean warming is a long-term irreversible change, contributing to sea level rise, which has increased significantly since 1993.
- What criticism is leveled against governments in response to the worsening climate crisis?
- The WMO report emphasizes that record-breaking rainfall and floods, increasingly dangerous storms, extreme heat, persistent droughts, and severe wildfires experienced in 2024 are a preview of the future. Governments are criticized for insufficient action despite increasingly dire warnings.
- What are some of the key consequences of the ongoing climate change mentioned in the report?
- The WMO's report highlights the continued increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, leading to accelerating climate change with higher temperatures, rising sea levels, more droughts, wildfires, and extreme weather events. The goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius remains challenging due to short-term natural climate influences like El Niño.