GLOBAL CLIMATE CONDITIONS IN 2024

Abstract

The average surface temperature in 2024 was 1.55°C above the 1850–1900 average for the pre-industrial period, by far the highest in the 175-year data series, and exceeded the predictions of the vast majority of climate models. In 2024, ocean warming and acidification continued, and sea level rise also continued. Record highs in sea surface temperatures were observed. The extent of land surface ice cover decreased in both the Arctic and Antarctic, and
the area and volume of glaciers on land decreased. Hazardous weather events, droughts, and floods caused significant damage to property and, in some cases, human casualties, with compound emergencies being particularly
damaging. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continued to increase. In 2023, atmospheric concentrations of
carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide reached their highest levels in 800,000 years. Concentrations of methane
(CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), two other key greenhouse gases, were also at record highs in 2023. Some relief
came from the ozone situation over the South Pole. In Europe, the impacts of climate change are clear. Since the
1980s, Europe has warmed twice as fast as the global average, making it the fastest-warming continent. This is
partly due to the proportion of European land in the Arctic, which is the fastest-warming region on Earth, and more
frequent summer heatwaves. Extreme rainfall is leading to catastrophic floods, and heat waves are becoming more
frequent and severe. Southern Europe is experiencing widespread droughts.