State of the Global Climate Report 2024
- The Earth & I Editorial Team
- Apr 20
- 2 min read
Warmest Year and Highest Ocean Heat Content Since Records Began
In March, the World Meteorological Organization released the 2025 edition of the State of the Global Climate Report for the 2023/2024 year. The report highlights key indicators—such as atmospheric carbon dioxide, ocean heat content, and global mean sea level—pertaining to global climate. Below are some key findings from the report.
By the end of 2023, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration reached about 420 parts per million or 3,276 gigatons of carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, methane concentration reached about 1,934 parts per billion and nitrous oxide concentration reached about 337 parts per billion. These are estimated to be the highest levels in the last 800,000 years.
2024 was the warmest year since records began in 1850, at about 1.55°C (2.79°F) above the 1850–1900 average. This is warmer than the 1.45°C (2.61°F) above the 1850–1900 average in 2023.
Global mean temperature based on various models. ©World Meteorological Organization (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Ocean heat content was the highest in 2024 since 1960, with an increase by about 16 ZJ (zettajoules, or 10^21 joules) from 2023. The rate of ocean warming in 2005–2024 was 11.2–12.1 ZJ per year, more than double that of 3.1–3.9 ZJ per year in 1960–2005.
Ocean heat content in ZJ (zettajoules, or 10^21 joules). ©World Meteorological Organization (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) The rate of global mean sea level rise has been increasing since 1993. Sea level has been rising by about 4.7 mm (0.18 in) per year in 2015–2024, more than double that of 2.1 mm (0.08 in) per year in 1993–2002.
Sea level change in millimeters. ©World Meteorological Organization (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Global ocean surface pH has been decreasing at a rate of about 0.017 pH units per decade over 1985–2023, meaning the oceans are becoming more acidic. Ocean surface pH was about 8.045 in 2023, about 16% more acidic than the pH of about 8.11 in 1985.
2024 had the seventh lowest minimum daily extent of Arctic sea ice from 1979, at a value of 4.28 million square kilometers in September. This was about 1.17 million square kilometers below the average minimum daily extent from 1991 to 2020.
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