logo
Record 2024 temperatures accelerate ice loss, rise in sea levels

Record 2024 temperatures accelerate ice loss, rise in sea levels

Ammon19-03-2025

Ammon News - Record greenhouse gas levels helped bring temperatures to an all-time high in 2024, accelerating glacier and sea ice loss, raising sea levels and edging the world closer to a key warming threshold, the U.N. weather body said on Wednesday.
Annual average mean temperatures stood at 1.55 degrees Celsius (2.79 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels last year, surpassing the previous 2023 record by 0.1C, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in its annual climate report.
Countries agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement to strive to limit temperature increases to within 1.5C above the 1850-1900 average.
Preliminary estimates put the current long-term average increase at between 1.34-1.41C, closing in on but not yet exceeding the Paris threshold, the WMO said.
"One thing to point out very clearly is that one single year above 1.5 degrees doesn't mean that the level mentioned in the Paris agreement had been formally exceeded," said John Kennedy, WMO's scientific coordinator and lead author of the report.
But uncertainty ranges in the data mean that it cannot be ruled out, he said during a briefing.
The report said other factors could also have driven global temperature rises last year, including changes in the solar cycle, a massive volcanic eruption and a decrease in cooling aerosols.
While a small number of regions saw temperatures fall, extreme weather wreaked havoc across the globe, with droughts causing food shortages and floods and wildfires forcing the displacement of 800,000 people, the highest since records began in 2008.
Ocean heat also reached its highest on record and the rate of warming is accelerating, with rising ocean CO2 concentrations also driving up acidification levels.
That's the hope of a team of scientists in the UK who are using sewage to power their new prototype race car.
Glaciers and sea ice continued to melt at a rapid rate, which in turn pushed sea levels to a new high. From 2015 to 2024, sea levels have risen by an average of 4.7 millimetres a year, compared to 2.1mm from 1993 to 2002, WMO data showed.
Kennedy also warned of the long-term implications of melting ice in Arctic and Antarctic regions.
"Changes in those regions potentially can affect the kind of overall circulation of the oceans, which affect climate around the world," he said. "What happens in the poles doesn't necessarily stay at the poles." Reuters

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Relatively hot weather conditions Friday
Relatively hot weather conditions Friday

Ammon

time3 days ago

  • Ammon

Relatively hot weather conditions Friday

Ammon News - Friday's temperatures will be marginally higher than normal, with hot weather predicted in most places and hot in the Dead Sea, Jordan Valley, Badia, and Aqaba. There will be moderate winds coming from the northwest. Today's highs and lows in Amman run from 33 to 19 degrees Celsius in the east, from 31 to 17 in the west, from 29 to 15 in the northern highlands, from 30 to 14 in the Shara highlands, from 37 to 18 in the Badia regions, from 33 to 19 in the plains, from 39 to 23 in the northern Jordan Valley, from 38 to 26 in the southern Jordan Valley, from 38 to 24 in the Dead Sea, and from 40 to 25 degrees Celsius in the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra

Strong winds, rising heat to mark Thursday weather in Jordan
Strong winds, rising heat to mark Thursday weather in Jordan

Roya News

time4 days ago

  • Roya News

Strong winds, rising heat to mark Thursday weather in Jordan

ِA noticeable rise in temperatures is forecasted across Jordan on Thursday, which coincides with Arafah Day. The forecast shows typical summer conditions over the highlands, while other regions will experience relatively hot weather. In the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, and Aqaba, temperatures are expected to range from hot to extremely hot – according to ArabiaWeather. Temperatures to Reach 40°C in the Jordan Valley, Dead Sea, and Aqaba Maximum temperatures are forecast to reach around 40 degrees Celsius in the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea area, and the city of Aqaba on Arafah Day. The public is advised to avoid prolonged and direct exposure to sunlight. Elsewhere across the Kingdom, highs will range between the low and mid-30s Celsius. Northwesterly Winds Expected to Strengthen in the Afternoon and Evening Moderate northwesterly winds are expected to blow across the Kingdom on Arafah Day and throughout Eid. Wind activity is forecast to increase during the afternoon and evening hours, with strong gusts in mountainous and open areas. These gusts may lead to localized dust and sand storms, particularly in southern and eastern parts of the country. Nighttime temperatures are also expected to rise by Thursday evening. Overall, conditions across most regions will be pleasant and suitable for outdoor gatherings. However, by late night and early morning hours—especially over high elevations and eastern plains—temperatures may lean toward the cooler side.

New rare wild orchid seen in UK for first time in 100 years
New rare wild orchid seen in UK for first time in 100 years

Ammon

time5 days ago

  • Ammon

New rare wild orchid seen in UK for first time in 100 years

Ammon News - A new lady's-slipper orchid, once believed to be extinct in the UK, has been spotted in the wild for the first time in 100 years following a decades-long conservation drive, experts said Tuesday. Over-picking by Victorian collectors, gripped by the orchid craze of the time, was thought to have made the yellow cup-shaped and purple-petalled plant extinct by the early 1900s. But a single plant was discovered in a remote location in the Yorkshire Dales in northern England in 1930. Its location was kept secret and volunteers have since provided round-the-clock monitoring to prevent it from being stolen. Last summer, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust supported by various conservation groups discovered the first new lady's-slipper orchid to appear in the wild since then, it said Tuesday. It is the culmination of a decades-long bid to bring back the flower, and has sparked hopes that it could one day be restored across its former range in northern England. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust secured a grant from Natural England's species recovery programme two years ago to protect the habitat, rearing many new orchids and reintroducing plants into suitable terrains. The new plant was spotted at one of the reintroduction sites, meaning planted-out orchids had produced seeds that had germinated into new plants. Jono Leadley, managing the project on behalf of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, called it a "truly thrilling moment". "To see a healthy population of lady's-slipper orchids back in their native area that are now reproducing themselves gives us real hope for the future," he said. The orchids were propagated by London's Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, after a call for help was issued in the 1990s. That led to a small number of privately-owned, wild-sourced orchids being offered as part of a breeding programme. "Trying to save the lady's slipper orchid in England has been one of RBG Kew's flagship conservation projects for many years," said RBG Kew's senior research leader Mike Fay.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store