The year 2024 is set to be the warmest on record, capping a decade of unprecedented heat fuelled by human activities, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

In a report published today, Monday, WMO said that Greenhouse gas levels continue to grow to record observed highs, locking in even more heat for the future.

WMO added that it will publish the consolidated global temperature figure for 2024 in January and its full State of the Global Climate 2024 report in March 2025.

“Every fraction of a degree of warming matters, and increases climate extremes, impacts and risks,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said. “Temperatures are only part of the picture. Climate change plays out before our eyes on an almost daily basis in the form of increased occurrence and impact of extreme weather events.”

This year saw record-breaking rainfall and flooding events and terrible loss of life in so many countries, causing heartbreak to communities on every continent, she said. “Tropical cyclones caused a terrible human and economic toll, most recently in the French overseas department of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. Intense heat scorched dozens of countries, with temperatures topping 50 °C on a number of occasions, while wildfires wreaked devastation.”

The increasingly extreme weather underlines the urgency of the “Early Warnings for All” initiative, which along with supporting climate service development and delivery, is a key part of WMO’s activities to support climate adaptation. On the climate mitigation front, WMO is rolling out the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch initiative, and supporting the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and COP.

WMO stated that in 2025, there will be a strong focus on the cryosphere – the frozen parts of the Earth including sea ice, ice sheets, frozen ground – as it is the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, faciliated by UNESCO and WMO.

Climate change intensified 26 of the 29 weather events studied by World Weather Attribution that killed at least 3700 people and displaced millions, according to a new report from World Weather Attribution and Climate Central. The report said that climate change added 41 days of dangerous heat in 2024, harming human health and ecosystems.

As global temperatures rise and extreme heat events become more frequent and severe, there is a growing need for enhanced international cooperation to address extreme heat risks, WMO said.

A targeted group of experts representing 15 international organisations, 12 countries, and several leading academic and NGO partners convened at WMO headquarters from 17-19 December to advance a coordinated framework for tackling the growing threat of extreme heat. This is in response to the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on extreme heat.