5 out of 6 climate trackers show 2024 crossed 1.5°C mark; 2 clock warming higher than 1.6°C

The year 2024 was both the warmest year on record as well as the first year when the average global temperature broke the 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C) threshold over pre-industrial level, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Friday.

- Jayashree Nandi

According to WMO's consolidated analysis of the six datasets, the global average surface temperature was 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. "Today's assessment from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) proves yet again - global heating is a cold, hard fact," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement.

While the threshold is intact - scientists typically use a longer-term average to measure the warming - the number highlights that the world is either close or has passed a key tipping point as far as the climate crisis is concerned.

"Individual years pushing past the 1.5 degree C limit do not mean the long-term goal is shot. It means we need to fight even harder to get on track. Blazing temperatures in 2024 require trail-blazing climate action in 2025," Guterres said.

Five out of six global weather databases showed 2024 exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, with two- Berkeley Earth and ECMWF - showing the average to have crossed 1.6°C of warming last year.

"Human-induced climate change remains the primary driver of extreme air and sea surface temperatures, while other factors, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), also contributed to the unusual temperatures observed during the year," a statement from C3S said.