The report The State of the Global Climate 2024 by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) reinforces the warnings we have already heard from Copernicus and other sources about how close we are to reaching the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit. According to this report, the global temperature is between 1.34 and 1.41 degrees higher than in the period from 1850 to 1900 due to the emission of greenhouse gases, the reduction of aerosols and other factors.

In any case, we are very close to the 1.5-degree threshold, which already represents a significant increase and entails serious consequences such as an increase in extreme weather events, melting ice and irreversible sea level rise. This report serves, once again, as an urgent call to action.

The WMO's new State of the Global Climate report confirms that last year was the warmest in the entire 175-year period of observational records, the first year to exceed the average temperature in the pre-industrial period (1850-1900) by 1.5°C. In addition to updating the indices associated with the warming of the surface atmosphere, the ocean, melting ice, sea level rise, ocean acidification, increased concentration of greenhouse gases, etc., all of which point to the increasingly difficult compliance with the commitments made in the Paris Agreement, this report places special emphasis on the importance of strengthening early warning systems in the face of increasingly frequent and destructive extreme weather events that cause great material and human losses.

All elements contributing to early warning systems, such as atmospheric and hydrological monitoring, forecasting - both meteorological and hydrological and even hydraulic - on different time scales, risk assessment, automation of procedures, communication and dissemination of warnings with clear protocols, capacity building and training of both affected communities and decision-makers, etc., need to be strengthened to minimise the effects of extreme weather events where a rapid response is essential. WMO has proven experience in the development and implementation of all components that essentially contribute to the proper functioning of early warning systems.