Context:
State of the Climate 2024 Report once again issues a Red Alert at the sheer pace of climate change in a single generation, turbo-charged by ever-increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.
Relevance:
GS III: Environment and Ecology
State of the Climate 2024 Report
Issuing Organization and Release Context:
- Released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) during the United Nations Climate Conference (COP29) held in Baku.
Key Findings of the Report
Record-Breaking Temperatures:
- 2024 is anticipated to be the warmest year on record, continuing a trend of exceptionally high global mean temperatures.
- From January to September 2024, the global average temperature was 1.54 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, influenced significantly by an El Niño weather pattern.
Decadal Temperature Increase:
- The decade from 2015 to 2024 is projected to be the warmest ten-year period on record.
- Ocean warming rates have notably increased over the past two decades, with predictions of continued irreversible heating of the planet’s seas.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
- 2023 recorded the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions ever observed, with a continuation of this upward trend noted in 2024.
- Carbon dioxide levels increased by 51% from 1750 to 2023, significantly impacting the thermal state of the world’s oceans, which absorb about 90% of the excess heat from global warming.
Ocean and Glacier Changes:
- The world’s oceans reached record heat levels in 2023, with preliminary data for 2024 indicating a continuation of this warming trend.
- Glaciers globally are experiencing accelerated ice loss, with 2023 marking the fastest rate of retreat in the 70-year record—equivalent to losing five times the volume of water held in the Dead Sea.
Impact on Sea Levels:
- Rapid glacial melt, particularly noted in North America and Europe, contributes to rising sea levels.
- Between 2014 and 2023, the global mean sea level rose at a rate of 4.77 mm per year, more than doubling the rate observed from 1993 to 2002.
-Source: Indian Express
