NEW DELHI: World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) secretary-general Celeste Saulo on Tuesday said the global average temperature rise breaching the Paris Agreement threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius in 2024 doesn’t mean the global climate deal is dead.
She, while referring to the average global temperature rise of 1.55 degrees Celsius in 2024 over the pre-industrial (1850-1900) period, however, termed the increase a “very grave danger” and called for decisive climate action in 2025 to reduce greenhouse gases and speed up the transition to renewable energy.
Saulo was addressing the India Meteorological Department’s 150th foundation day celebration, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, minister of earth science Jitendra Singh, India Meteorological Department chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra and meteorologists from India and many other countries, including Japan, Singapore and Oman. Representatives of Pakistan did not attend it despite sending prior confirmation while Bangladesh had declined its participation in advance, citing restrictions on non-essential foreign travel at govt expense.
Saulo’s remark on the occasion means the breaching of warming levels referred to in the Paris Agreement should be understood as temperature rise over an extended period, typically decades or longer. The temporary breach – one or more individual years exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius – does not necessarily mean that pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase above pre-industrial levels as stated in the agreement is out of reach.
WMO had last week confirmed that 2024 was the warmest year on record and the past 10 years (2015-2024) had all been in the top ten in an extraordinary streak of record-breaking temperatures.
It said that the global average surface temperature was 1.55 degrees Celsius (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.13 degree Celsius) above the 1850-1900 average, making it the first calendar year with a global mean temperature of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level.
Commending IMD’s role as a cornerstone of weather observation, forecasting and research across the Indian subcontinent for 150 years, Saulo said, “This legacy of dedication and innovation has enhanced India’s resilience and contributed greatly to the global good.”