SECRETARY-GENERAL'S STATEMENT ON OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION OF 2024 AS THE HOTTEST YEAR
There's still time to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe. But leaders must act – now.
Today’s assessment from the World Meteorological Organization is clear: Global heating is a cold, hard fact.
We have just endured the hottest decade on record – with 2024 topping the list, and likely to be the first calendar year with a global mean temperature of more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Individual years pushing past the 1.5 degree 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.
Specifically, governments must deliver new national climate action plans this year to limit long-term global temperature rise to 1.5°C, and support the most vulnerable and deal with devastating climate impacts.
There's still time to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe. But leaders must act – now.
New York, 10 January 2025
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