State of the Climate 2024 Update for COP29
The year 2024 is on track to be the warmest year on record after an extended streak of exceptionally high monthly global mean temperatures.
The WMO State of the Climate 2024 Update once again issues a Red Alert at the sheer pace of climate change in a single generation, turbo-charged by ever-increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. 2015-2024 will be the warmest ten years on record; the loss of ice from glaciers, sea-level rise and ocean heating are accelerating; and extreme weather is wreaking havoc on communities and economies across the world.
The January – September 2024 global mean surface air temperature was 1.54 °C (with a margin of uncertainty of ±0.13°C) above the pre-industrial average, boosted by a warming El Niño event, according to an analysis of six international datasets used by WMO.
The report was issued on the first day of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan. It highlights that the ambitions of the Paris Agreement are in great peril.
- Jan-Sept 2024 global average temperature 1.54 (±0.13) °C above pre-industrial level
- Long-term warming measured over decades remains below 1.5°C
- Past 10 years are warmest on record and ocean heat rises
- Antarctic sea ice second lowest on record and glacier loss accelerates
- Extreme weather and climate events lead to massive economic and human losses
About the series
The WMO State of the Global Climate report focuses on key climate indicators – greenhouse gases, temperatures, sea level rise, ocean heat and acidification, sea ice and glaciers.
