Tag: WMO

Carbon dioxide levels increase by record amount to new highs in 2024

Stuart Mitchell

  The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin said continued emissions of CO2 from human activities and an upsurge from wildfires were responsible, as well as reduced CO2 absorption by “sinks” such as land ecosystems and the ocean – in what threatens to be a vicious climate cycle.   Growth rates of CO2 have tripled since the 1960s, accelerating from an annual average increase of 0.8 ppm per year to 2.4 ppm per year in the decade from 2011 to 2020. From 2023 to 2024, the global average concentration of CO2 surged…

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WMO faces the future, with action plan on Artificial Intelligence

Stuart Mitchell

A new Joint Advisory Group on Artificial Intelligence will inform WMO activities in relation to the development and use of AI intelligence technologies in meteorology and hydrology. It will seek to accelerate integration of AI into the WMO infrastructure and research activities. There is a special focus on incorporating AI in the WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System (WIPPS) – which is the backbone of all forecasting.   WMO will work collaboratively with the public, private and academic sectors in applying AI and machine learning technologies to strengthen the entire…

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Extreme weather and climate change impacts hit Africa hard

Stuart Mitchell

The average surface temperature across Africa in 2024 was approximately 0.86 °C above the 1991–2020 long-term average. North Africa recorded the highest temperature (1.28°C above the 1991-2020 average) and this is the sub-region of Africa which is warming fastest. Extreme heat hit many parts of the continent during 2024, affecting agriculture, labour productivity and disrupting education. Sea surface temperatures were the highest on record, ahead of 2023. Particularly large increases in sea surface temperatures have been observed in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Almost the entire ocean area around…

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WMO report documents spiralling weather and climate impacts

Stuart Mitchell

The clear signs of human-induced climate change reached new heights in 2024, with some of the consequences being irreversible over hundreds if not thousands of years, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which also underlined the massive economic and social upheavals from extreme weather.  Key messages Key climate change indicators again reach record levels Long-term warming (averaged over decades) remains below 1.5°C Sea-level rise and ocean warming irreversible for hundreds of years Record greenhouse gas concentrations combined with El Niño and other factors to drive…

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UNESCO and WMO Launch the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025:

Stuart Mitchell

UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have officially launched the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation on January 21st, 2025, marking a crucial milestone in global efforts to protect these essential water towers that provide freshwater to over 2 billion people worldwide. Numerous activities and events during the year will seek to  raise global awareness about the critical role of glaciers in the climate system and hydrological cycle, while addressing the urgent challenges posed by accelerated glacier melting. A Critical Moment for Earth’s Cryosphere More than 275,000 glaciers worldwide cover…

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