2024 Global Average Temperature Was Hottest on Record and First Above 1.5C [Video]

Fueled by the climate crisis, the global average temperature soared above the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold for the first time in 2024, intensifying extreme weather.

Experts from the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have confirmed that last year was the planet’s hottest on record, reaching 1.55 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, reported UN News.

“We saw extraordinary land, sea surface temperatures, extraordinary ocean heat accompanied by very extreme weather affecting many countries around the world, destroying lives, livelihoods, hopes and dreams,” said Clare Nullis, WMO spokesperson, as UN News reported. “We saw many climate change impacts retreating sea ice glaciers. It was an extraordinary year.”

Four out of six of the international datasets analyzed by WMO showed a global average temperature for 2024 that was higher than 1.5 degrees Celsius, while two did not.

The 1.5 degrees Celsius average is the goal temperature threshold of the 2015 Paris Agreement, with an …