The warmest year since the practice of keeping annual temperature records began was 2024, that is, last year. Due to widespread warming and temperature, many glaciers in different parts of the world, including the North and South Poles, are melting rapidly, resulting in a rise in sea level in 2024, as in previous years.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations’ climate monitoring body, said in a report on Wednesday that the average global temperature increased by 1.55 degrees Celsius in 2024, which is 1.1 degrees Celsius higher than the temperature increase in the previous year, 2023.
Rising temperatures have also led to a rise in sea levels. According to the WMO, the average sea level rose by 4.7 millimeters in 2024.
The main cause of global warming is the constant increase in the presence of various greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, in the air. Burning large amounts of fossil fuels every day, deforestation, unplanned industrialization, and urbanization are responsible for increasing the presence of greenhouse gases in the air.
At the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, member states agreed to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The member states also signed an agreement to this end. The agreement is known as the Paris Agreement.
As such, the data on the increase in temperatures last year is quite disappointing. However, John Kennedy, the WMO’s top scientist, coordinator, and lead author of this report, said, “A 1.5 degree increase in average temperatures in one year is disappointing. But that does not mean that the Paris Agreement is failing. If we have the will, there is still a lot we can do to address this crisis.”
Incidentally, the increase in temperatures has also led to a higher rate of natural disasters such as storms, heavy rains, droughts, and prolonged heat waves around the world last year. According to the United Nations, at least 800,000 people were displaced by various natural disasters in 2024, the highest since 2008.
Source: AFP, Geo TV
