Temperatures Hit Highest Level Since 1850

The State of the Climate 2024 has been published. The American Meteorological Society puts it out. Much of what was in the publication was expected. Last year was the hottest year in “history.” The year before was the “hottest” up until that point . What is staggering, however, is that 2024 was the hottest year since. 1850. It is easy to forget that. 1850 is described as the “observational record dating.” This was also the start of the second phase of the Industrial Revolution.

Ocean temperatures also reached the highest level in 171 years. The overall picture of both land and ocean temperatures paints a picture of a world in which climate change is accelerating at a deeply troubling pace. The number of cyclones dropped slightly last year compared to the multi-year average. The same was true of drought. However, the longer-term trends for each show that these were almost certainly minor blips in a vast amount of data, which show that by almost any measure, the world is getting worse. 

Worse Next Year?

Anyone who reads the document sees that. Although it is a scientific document, it is deeply pessimistic. The authors cannot hide that. As a matter of fact, they know that they are the best judges of current trends, and therefore, their concerns should have a good deal of weight. 

Next year’s report will not be any better.