The world is enduring a “decade of deadly heat,” with a decade of unprecedented temperatures set to reach its breaking point in 2024, the United Nations has announced.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, delivering his annual New Year's message, said the 10 hottest years on record occurred in the past 10 years, including 2024.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations' climate and meteorological agency, will release this year's official temperature figures in January. The group said last year was on track to be the hottest on record, ending a decade of unprecedented heat caused by increased human activity and extreme weather events, while greenhouse gas levels rose to new levels. It said it continues to reach new highs and is securing more heat for the future.
“We can officially report that we have endured 10 years of extreme heat. The top 10 hottest years on record have occurred in the past 10 years, including 2024,” Guterres said.
“This is climate change in real time. We have to get out of this path of destruction, and we don't have a moment to spare. In 2025, countries will have significantly reduced emissions and We need to put the world on a safer path by supporting the transition to a renewable future. It is essential and possible.”
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Sauro said all degrees of warming were important and that temperatures were “only part of the picture” leading to an increase in extreme weather.
“This year has seen record rainfall and flooding in so many countries, causing terrible loss of life and heartbreaking for communities on every continent,” she said.
“Tropical cyclones have caused severe human and economic damage, most recently in the French overseas department of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.Severe heatwaves have hit dozens of countries, with temperatures often exceeding 50 degrees. The wildfire caused devastating damage.”
WMO has released a new report that says climate change will intensify in 26 of the 29 extreme weather events investigated by World Weather Attribution (WWA) in 2024, killing at least 3,700 people and displacing millions. pointed out.
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Climate change will add 41 days of dangerous heat in 2024, according to a report by WWA, a network of scientists investigating the role of global warming in extreme weather events, and Climate Central, a research reporting organization.
WMO said that as global temperatures rise and heatwave events worsen, there is an increasing need for countries and international organizations to work together to address serious heat risks.
