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Five key graphs that show 2024's spiralling climate change in Ireland and worldwide

Record levels of greenhouse gas concentrations, temperatures, rainfall and glacier loss were experienced last year.

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.

1. Very dry winter and very wet summer in Ireland 

rain fall in ireland Graph detailing the levels of rainfall in different regions of the country (above) and the monthly rainfall percentages, compared to the last decade. Met Éireann Met Éireann

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.

2. Ice is still melting

glacier-cumulative-mass-balance-1950-2024 Graph showing the collective mass of glaciers on Earth, which has fallen drastically over the last number of years. WMO WMO

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.

3. Record levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

co2 Graph showing record year-on-year increases in CO2 levels in the atmosphere. WMO WMO

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.

4. Mean temperatures are higher than ever globally

global-mean-temperature-1850-2024 Graph showing the mean global temperature increasing between 1850 and 2024. WMO WMO

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.

5. Global rainfall drastically changing

rain rain rain Rainfall intensity worldwide last year. WMO WMO

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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    Mute Denito
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:57 PM

    I used to work for one of the companies with a very high score highlighted in the article and their HR department coordinates their presence on Glassdoor and the “Best places to work” competition. I would treat those ratings with a grain of salt

    515
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    Mute john Appleseed
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 6:27 AM

    Couldn’t agree more. 73 of the 500 employees seemed to have left stellar reviews and the ‘faults’ are like reading interview hint sheet

    124
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    Mute Blathnaid1986
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 7:42 AM

    AIB- gambling taxpayer moneyPaddy Power- facilates gambling of net taxpayers money after the government has stolen its share, Ryanair-abusive to workers, Dunnes-abusive to workers- Ireland best companies, Ireland is in a sorry state

    108
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    Mute TommyRyder
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:17 PM

    Gambling is an addiction. A vice.
    Profiteering from other people’s misery is bad karma.
    Dirty money.
    You can dress up in a suit and present a smooth corporate image but at the end of the day it’s in the same category as heroin and crack cocaine dealing.
    I wouldn’t like to have that on my conscience every time I opened my wage packet.

    334
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    Mute lotto blotto
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:19 PM

    Tell us where you work Tommy… children’s refuge?

    115
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    Mute Paul P O'Sullivan
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:34 PM

    Jesus Tommy, exaggerate much? Paddy Power is like a drug dealer basically. Absolute dope

    102
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    Mute TommyRyder
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:35 PM

    It’s called making an ethical choice Lotto.
    I’m sure if you delve down deep enough in your own psyche you might find something you would refuse to do on ethical grounds.
    I hope so.

    166
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    Mute Supernova
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:36 PM

    Tommy any tips for Cheltenham?

    153
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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:45 PM

    Sounds like someone close to you Tommy, had a gambling addiction ?

    66
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    Mute TommyRyder
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:55 PM

    25% of gambing addicts have committed a crime to fund their gambling.
    One in five problem gamblers have attempted suicide. Twice the rate of other addictions.
    The gambling addict will end up in one of three places.
    Prison.
    The psychiatric institution.
    The morgue.

    192
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    Mute TommyRyder
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:57 PM

    @Suzie.
    True.

    72
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    Mute Paul Harte
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    Nov 1st 2015, 11:03 PM

    He’s right Lotto blotto. So why you slagging him off?

    118
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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Nov 1st 2015, 11:05 PM

    I had a feeling Tommy judging by your comment .you’re right in what you’re saying about gambling .

    102
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    Mute jane
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    Nov 1st 2015, 11:07 PM

    It’s a bit harsh Tommy. Not everyone who gambled is addicted, everyone who takes heroine is.

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    Mute Supernova
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    Nov 1st 2015, 11:19 PM

    Yes you can get addicted to gambling, same goes for drugs, drink, tobacco. But in moderation gambling is the least problem causing. It’s all about self control, problems arise when you bet with money you haven’t got.. But gambling on Major competitions, festivals etc is fun. Do what you want with your extra money

    44
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    Mute Eugene Walsh
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    Nov 1st 2015, 11:26 PM

    Too right tommy.

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    Mute Carmo Vanderval
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    Nov 1st 2015, 11:28 PM

    That’s untrue Jane, if your talking about heroin. Lots of people take it and don’t become addicts.

    38
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    Mute TommyRyder
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    Nov 1st 2015, 11:38 PM

    “Problem gamblers such as Jim are “as miserable as cancer patients,”
    “Being a problem gambler tripled the probability of extreme unhappiness,”
    Prof David Forrest of the University of Liverpool, who studies gambling and is the author of a study called The Unhappiness of Problem Gamblers. “

    A recent survey of the UK industry by three academics, Mark Griffiths, Jim Orford and Heather Wardle, “found that 30-35 per cent of the industry’s revenue comes from full-blown problem gamblers.

    Dr Colin O’Gara, a consultant psychiatrist at St John of God Hospital and a researcher at the school of medicine at University College Dublin, has seen a dramatic increase in the number of patients with smartphone- and other online-gambling problems.
    “Gambling may be a hobby for people, but it’s inherently an addictive behaviour,” he says. “Just like alcohol or drugs. It’s not harmless.”

    It’s an industry built on human misery.

    77
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    Mute TommyRyder
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    Nov 1st 2015, 11:44 PM

    Most heroin and crack dealers begin their operations by offering ‘freebies’ to users.
    Online bookmakers like Paddy Power, Ladbrokes, BetFair (which is now a joint venture with Paddy Power) etc use social media to offer ‘new users’ free bets with the intention of parting them from their money on a regular basis further down the road.

    97
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    Mute TommyRyder
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    Nov 1st 2015, 11:48 PM

    Anyway.
    I’ll get down off the soap box now.
    It’s an ever increasing problem which needs to be watched closely.

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    Mute Niall O' Sullivan
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 12:51 AM

    Totally agree on gambling. it’s profiteering out of other peoples misery. Thank god, it’s one vice I don’t have. I was always too scared of it.

    65
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    Mute Brendan Hill
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 5:28 AM

    Big time, screw Paddy Power and the rest of them. It’s great if you can have the odd bet etc but the look of misery of some of the lads hanging around those places. I always pity the family at home.

    52
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    Mute The Guru
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 6:58 AM

    Any of the big accounting firms are horrendous to work for. Mediocre pay for ridiculous hours and stress all in the name of climbing the ladder to partner where you earn the big bucks and never see your family. Too many companies in Ireland trying to replicate their American parents working culture without realising it’s one of the reasons the US is so fooked up

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    Mute Scorpionvenomm
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:12 PM

    Why would you wanna work for Ryanair when you’re a senior web developer

    82
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    Mute lotto blotto
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:20 PM

    The air miles?

    57
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    Mute Jim Kier
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:42 PM

    Ryanair don’t give miles. Most airlines give free or reduced fares or standby travel to employees and family members. It’s cheap and cheerful for passengers and standby with restrictions for staff on Ryanair. The free or discount travel is lost when you leave.
    If you worked for British Airways. Discount travel to employees and even after you left or retired the benefit was for life that included spouse and children. That’s when unions had teeth that secured benefits.

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    Mute Nira Line
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:46 PM

    Are they the same type of unions that had Brendan Ogle threatening to cut off electricity to the country last year ?

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    Mute Mark Ryan
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    Nov 1st 2015, 10:54 PM

    Why would Ryanair give cheap.flights to employees who leave? That may be the silliest complaint I’ve ever seen about them! And by the way air miles and other benefits like that are limited by European Union restrictions, there is nothing airlines can do about it

    106
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    Mute Tony Stanley
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    Nov 1st 2015, 11:57 PM

    I work for an airline and did recruitment for ages within them. Wouldn’t touch Ryanair staff with a barge pole. So saying its a stepping stone into the industry is far from the mark!

    Many of the Ryanair staff who did manage to get through turned out to be the biggest waste of space with the most appalling work ethic and customer service offered.

    54
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    Mute James
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 12:18 AM

    Maybe all the good ones didn’t want to work at your airline so you ended up with the scraps..

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    Mute Tony_Kilduff
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 12:28 AM

    Tony, I work in the industry too but not with Ryanair, they didn’t get to be the most successful airline in Europe by having staff that are a “waste of space”. Whatever airline you work for could probably learn a few lessons from them.

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    Mute Tony_Kilduff
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 12:35 AM

    James… I’d say someone tried to get in to Ryanair and got rejected. ..;)

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    Mute Patrick Doyle
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 12:47 AM

    Yep.. The same unions that used to get decent wages for workers. For the demise of wages see the demise of unions

    41
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    Mute Tony Stanley
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 2:52 AM

    My airline is a pretty huge well known one, in fact pretty topical when you look at what just happened to Aer Lingus and Iberia! Shall we say it was once the “worlds favourite”!

    And yes Ryanair staff where never known for customer service ethic until recently when O’Leary suddenly realised that just maybe being nice does matter!

    41
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    Mute Tony_Kilduff
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 12:45 PM

    Right, so they’re not a “waste of space ” anymore. I think you’d find its Ryanair who wouldn’t entertain the unionised, constantly strike threatening staff from BA and Aer Lingus.

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    Mute sam 987123
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 7:28 AM

    I left my review last night. It was very cathartic to get it out there

    36
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    Mute BERTIE
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 9:10 AM

    Refer a friend? !!! I used to work in a place that I used to recommend to my colleagues that they get out if they can !

    28
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    Mute Thomas Mac Donagh
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 7:06 AM

    can we do the same for employees. name and shame. fair is fair

    18
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    Mute Gerry Ryan deG
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    Nov 2nd 2015, 11:13 AM

    Values, what about the global company who introduced the ‘values’ to great fanfare and subsequently the MD would announce at every opportunity that the Values were a load of S***E.

    Don’t believe the ‘Values’ are anything other than Spin and do some research.

    14
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