2024, Which Became a Major Turning Point for Climate Change
The "World Meteorological Organization (WMO)" announced on March 19 that in 2024 the global average surface temperature rose 1.55°C (±0.13°C) above the pre-industrial average from 1850 to 1900. With this, 2024 was officially confirmed as the first year in which the global average temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. 2024 was the warmest year in the WMO's 175 years of observational records, and can be seen as a major turning point for climate change. The comprehensive analysis of international data from six institutions—the "European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)," the "Japan Meteorological Agency," the "U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)," the "U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)," the "UK Met Office" together with the "University of East Anglia," and "Berkeley Earth," a climate-science institution in California—also reported the fact of exceeding 1.5°C.
[2024 Confirmed as the First Year to Cross 1.5°C, the Last Line of Defense Against Climate Change ⓒESG.ONL]
Achieving the Paris Agreement's Goal Has Not Yet Failed
Through the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world set "keeping the average temperature rise below 1.5°C" as a long-term goal. But humanity—having piled up the record of the hottest decade ever from 2015 to 2024—saw 2024 achieve the Earth's highest temperature. That said, because the Paris Agreement's goal refers to a 20-year average temperature, it is difficult to conclude that the goal has failed based on a single year's exceedance in 2024 alone. The "World Meteorological Organization" estimated that, based on the current situation, long-term global warming will lead to a temperature increase of between 1.34 and 1.41°C. Whether it exceeds 1.5°C or not, as long as temperatures rise, ecosystem changes such as biodiversity destruction, glacier reduction, and threats to polar ecosystems are expected to continue to progress. There is also an observation that the extreme weather anomalies and natural disasters that have astonished the world—great floods, wildfires, heat waves, droughts, and the like—will likewise continue. Scientists' warnings about the problem of carbon-dioxide concentration, which is being maintained at a high level in the atmosphere, also continue.
"Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization," said, "Climate history is unfolding before our eyes," also emphasizing the need to strengthen early-warning systems. "UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres" expressed the view that "limiting the level of the Earth's temperature rise to below 1.5°C (presented as a long-term goal) is still possible, and the whole world must strive through the '2035 National Climate Plans (NDCs; Nationally Determined Contributions),' which are scheduled to be held in 2025." Unless the whole world shows the will to achieve the long-term goal of reducing fossil-fuel emissions, it appears that stopping global warming will be difficult. Now is the time for the international community to put all its strength into efforts to reduce greenhouse gases through even stronger climate-change-response measures.
by Editor N