2024 has officially entered the history books as the hottest year ever recorded, shattering previous climate records and delivering a stark warning about the escalating global climate crisis. According to a report by the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2024 also marked the first full calendar year in which global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels—a critical threshold defined in international climate agreements.
The report, released by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), confirmed fears that 2024 surpassed the previous record set in 2023, with global average temperatures exceeding that year by 0.10°C. The average land and ocean surface temperatures in 2024 was also 1.29°C above the 20th-century average. Regionally, Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America experienced their hottest years on record, while Asia and the Arctic recorded their second-warmest years.
Adding to these alarming figures, Antarctic sea ice coverage reached its second-lowest extent on record. The Arctic also fared poorly, with its sea ice extent ranking seventh-lowest on record. Meanwhile, upper ocean heat content reached unprecedented levels in 2024.
Notably, the five highest ocean heat content values have all been recorded in the past five years and all of the Earth’s 10 warmest years since records began in 1850 have occurred in the last decade, further underscoring the urgency of addressing global warming.
NOAA’s findings are a sobering reminder of the dire need for immediate and decisive climate action. The escalating impacts of climate change, from shrinking ice caps to warming oceans, threaten to reshape ecosystems and human societies alike. As nations debate and implement policies, the data serves as a rallying call to intensify efforts to mitigate the worst effects of this global crisis.
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