2024 witnessed unprecedented global temperatures reaching over 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, setting alarming new records for heat, sea levels, and ocean warming. This marks a critical turning point in the climate crisis, with irreversible consequences for the planet and its inhabitants.
The year 2024 marked a grim milestone in the annals of climate change , witnessing unprecedented and irreversible consequences of human activity. The global mean near-surface temperature soared to 1.55°C above the pre-industrial average (1850-1900), making it the warmest year in the 175-year observational record. This alarming figure surpassed the critical 1.5°C threshold, signaling a stark warning about the accelerating pace of global warming .
The relentless rise in greenhouse gas emissions, compounded by the transition from a cooling La Niña to a warming El Niño, fueled this unprecedented warmth. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas, reached its highest level in 800,000 years, standing at 420 parts per million in 2023. This concentration equates to 3.276 trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide trapped in the atmosphere, contributing significantly to the global warming effect.Further exacerbating the situation, the oceans, which absorb vast amounts of heat from the atmosphere, witnessed record-breaking heat content for the past eight consecutive years. This relentless ocean warming leads to cascading effects on marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and ultimately, global weather patterns. Rising sea levels, driven by melting glaciers and thermal expansion of water, pose a direct threat to coastal communities and infrastructure. The cryosphere, Earth's frozen regions including glaciers and ice sheets, is shrinking at an alarming rate, further amplifying the severity of climate change
Climate Change Global Warming Greenhouse Gases Ocean Warming Sea Level Rise
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