The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed in its 2024 State of the Global Climate report that the Earth's energy imbalance—the difference between incoming solar radiation and outgoing heat—reached a record high. This imbalance, driven by rising concentrations of greenhouse gases, means the planet is accumulating more heat than it releases.
According to the WMO, key indicators broke records in 2024. The global average near-surface temperature was 1.45°C above the pre-industrial baseline, making it the warmest year on record. Concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—continued to increase, with CO2 levels 50% higher than in pre-industrial times.
The report states that over 90% of the excess energy trapped in the climate system is stored in the ocean, leading to record-high ocean heat content. This contributed to unprecedented glacier and ice sheet melt, accelerating sea-level rise to a new high. The WMO Secretary-General, Celeste Saulo, warned these changes are fueling more frequent and intense heatwaves, floods, droughts, and wildfires worldwide.
The WMO emphasized that the current trajectory is far from the goals of the Paris Agreement. While renewable energy capacity additions jumped by nearly 50% in 2024, the report underscores that climate action must be drastically scaled up to mitigate the growing risks to food security, populations, and economies.
