The UN's authoritative climate body has issued a dire warning about escalating global warming. Recent data indicates unprecedented increases in greenhouse gases, and rising temperatures of land, water, and alarming glacier and sea ice melts.

In its latest assessment, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) anticipates a strong possibility that 2024 could set a new record for global heat. The organization, based in Geneva, highlighted in its Global Climate Status report the faltering global efforts to curb rising temperatures. Alarmingly, the target to restrict global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels is under serious threat.

Celeste Saulo, WMO’s Secretary-General, emphasized the critical juncture we're facing in terms of the Paris Agreement's 1.5C limit. “We are perilously close – currently on a temporary basis – to crossing this threshold,” she stated. “The WMO community is raising a red alert for the entire planet.”

Data from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that the year from March 2023 to February 2024 witnessed an average temperature rise of 1.56C (2.81F), surpassing the 1.5-degree limit. While the year 2023 narrowly stayed below this threshold at 1.48C (2.66F), the early months of 2024 have already pushed the average temperature over the limit. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as a cry for help from Earth, with the new report painting a picture of a planet teetering on the edge. He highlighted the devastating impacts of fossil fuel emissions on climate stability.

Omar Baddour, leading WMO's climate monitoring division, noted that post-El Nino years typically see higher temperatures. “While it’s too early to definitively declare 2024 as the hottest year, early signs, including the warmest January ever recorded, suggest we are continuing to set troubling records,” he said.

The compilation of WMO's latest findings paints a stark picture. In 2023, more than 90% of the world’s oceans experienced at least one heatwave. Glaciers, monitored since the 1950s, saw their most significant ice loss yet, and Antarctic sea ice shrank to its lowest recorded level.