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LAST UPDATE | 19 Mar
IRREVERSIBLE HUMAN-INDUCED climate change is spiralling globally, according to the latest report from the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
Record greenhouse gas concentrations contributed to temperatures never recorded before last year, according to the WMO’s latest State of the Climate Report. It was the warmest year on record.
Meanwhile, in Ireland, Met Éireann has revealed that there were lower-than-average levels of rainfall last year, as well as the warmest-recorded Spring
Here’s five graphs from those reports, showing the state of the climate.
Met Éireann’s report, released today to coincide with the WMO’s, notes the differences in rainfall in Ireland last year compared to previous years.
Ireland experienced a very dry winter last year, compared to previous years, which included a 16-day drought in Co Cork in January. By February, a significant increase in rainfall was experienced.
The increased and persistent rain in February continued throughout Spring, leading to February, March and April recording much-higher-than-average rainfall levels. Last Spring was one of the wettest on record and included the third wettest March in Dublin.
While June and July were relatively drier than normal, temperatures were significantly lower than average as cold, Arctic air systems suppressed most rain until August, which also saw record-levels of rainfall that month.
In the last three years, glaciers have melted faster than ever before. The WMO report states that this is particularly negative near the North Pole, Norway and Sweden.
Just two of the nearly 150 glaciers monitored by the WMO last year had any positive changes. The “exceptionally negative” impact that the warmer climate is having on glaciers could led to an increase of 1.1 metres is sea levels.
Glacier loss impacts almost every aspect of global life, including crop yields, and threatens food security and poverty prevention measures. It risks polluting clean water and species extinction and has extreme impacts on the economy.
Record levels of greenhouse gases are in the atmosphere, according to the 2024 report.
Carbon dioxide is at 151% of pre-industrial levels, methane was recorded at 266% of pre-industrial levels while nitrous oxide was recorded at 124% of pre-industrial levels.
It is the highest amount of CO2 in the atmosphere in 2 million years and the highest levels of both methane and nitrous oxide in 800,000 years. In the last decade alone, CO2 levels have increased by 79%.
These gases are contributing to food insecurity, rising temperatures and ocean acidification and affecting marine wildlife.
The global mean temperature increased by 1.55 degrees last year, the world’s warmest year ever. In Ireland, it was the fourth warmest year on record.
Experts are currently working on calculating where the world is in relation to the goals of the Paris climate agreement, which aims to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
Extreme weather is a big feature of the WMO report on 2024. It specifically mentions flash flooding and extreme rainfall events such as the floods in Valencia, Spain last year. It also notes many events of extreme rainfall in parts of South America.
However, in comparison to the previous decade, certain parts of the world have seen rainfall patterns drastically change in a short period of time.
The report notes how these changes are having a direct impact on sea level increases. According to this year’s report, the WMO states that irreversible damage and change has been made to the world’s sea levels as a result of these changing patterns.
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