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Yes—climate change is getting worse. The clearest evidence is not one dramatic weather event but a stack of independently measured records: 2024 was the hottest year in the 175-year instrumental record, ocean heat and sea level reached new highs, ice continued to decline, and greenhouse-gas concentrations remained elevated. Human activity is the principal cause, and current national pledges do not yet put the world on a 1.5°C pathway.
What the latest measurements show
2024 crossed an important warning level
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported on 19 March 2025 that 2024 was likely the first calendar year with a global mean near-surface temperature more than 1.5°C above the 1850–1900 pre-industrial average. Its estimate was 1.55 ± 0.13°C, making 2024 the warmest year in the 175-year observational record.
That does not mean the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C limit has been permanently or formally exceeded. The agreement is assessed against a long-term average, while the WMO figure describes one calendar year. A single year can be pushed higher by natural variability, including a strong El Niño. The distinction matters, but it does not make the record harmless: it shows how close the long-term climate is moving toward that threshold.
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WMO’s State of the Global Climate 2024 says key climate indicators again reached record levels. Ocean warming and sea-level rise are especially consequential because both continue long after emissions stop. WMO describes these changes as irreversible for hundreds of years on human timescales. Record greenhouse-gas concentrations helped drive the exceptional heat.
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Looking at several indicators together is more informative than treating the temperature record as an isolated statistic. The atmosphere is retaining more heat, the ocean is absorbing it, ice is being lost and the sea is rising. Those parts of the Earth system reinforce one another and cannot be quickly reset by a short-term drop in annual emissions.
Why scientists attribute the warming to human activity
NASA summarizes the evidence directly: “There is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate. Human activity is the principal cause.” Burning coal, oil and gas adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Deforestation and other land-use changes also release greenhouse gases and reduce the capacity of ecosystems to remove carbon.
These gases strengthen the natural greenhouse effect. Incoming sunlight warms the surface, and greenhouse gases slow the escape of infrared heat to space. The result is a persistent energy imbalance. Natural factors such as volcanic eruptions and changes in solar output affect climate from year to year, but they cannot explain the sustained, rapid warming observed since the industrial era.
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Which impacts are already happening?
Ice, oceans and sea level
NASA identifies declining sea ice, melting glaciers and ice sheets, and rising sea levels as current effects of human-caused warming. As oceans heat, seawater expands; melting land ice adds more water. Because the deep ocean responds slowly, the warming already stored in it will influence sea level for centuries.
Heat and extreme weather
More intense heat waves are among the clearest present-day consequences. A warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture, increasing the potential for intense rainfall in some situations, while higher temperatures worsen drought and wildfire conditions in others. The exact effect differs by region and event, so no single storm or heat wave should be treated as a complete measure of the trend. The robust finding is that risks rise as the planet warms.
Why future damage keeps increasing
NASA states that “The effects of human-caused global warming are happening now, are irreversible for people alive today, and will worsen as long as humans add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.” Irreversible here means that some changes cannot be undone within a human lifetime, not that every future outcome is fixed. Cutting emissions still determines how much additional warming and disruption occur.
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How far current policies are from a 1.5°C pathway
The United Nations Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap Report 2024 quantifies the gap. To retain a 1.5°C pathway, global greenhouse-gas emissions must fall 42% by 2030 and 57% by 2035. Those are reductions from current emissions levels, not reductions in the rate of growth.
If national ambition and implementation do not increase, UNEP projects 2.6–3.1°C of warming this century. That range is a projection under insufficient action, not a guaranteed endpoint. It illustrates why every fraction of a degree matters: higher warming brings greater heat, sea-level and ecosystem risks and narrows the options for adaptation.
Three tests for a credible response
- Speed: emissions must decline rapidly enough to meet the 2030 and 2035 milestones, rather than relying on distant net-zero promises alone.
- Scale: cuts must cover major emitting sectors and countries, including electricity, transport, buildings, industry, agriculture and land use.
- Delivery: pledges need finance, enforceable regulation, transmission and other infrastructure, skilled workers, and implementation that reaches households and businesses.
Which solutions can reduce emissions?
UNEP identifies solar, wind and forests as having real potential for sweeping and fast cuts, while stressing whole-of-government action and international cooperation. No single measure can replace the rest. The practical choice is a portfolio evaluated for emissions potential, deployment speed, durability, co-benefits and equity.
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| Option | Emissions-reduction potential | Speed and scale | Durability | Co-benefits and equity questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar power | UNEP identifies solar as a source of sweeping cuts when it displaces fossil-fuel electricity. | Can expand quickly where permitting, grids, storage and finance are available. | Equipment produces power for decades; continued benefits depend on maintenance, recycling and a low-carbon grid. | Lower air pollution and new energy access; projects must address land use, local consent and affordability. |
| Wind power | UNEP identifies wind as another major source of rapid emissions reductions. | Deployment can be fast, but transmission, siting and permitting determine how much capacity reaches users. | Long-lived infrastructure requires ongoing maintenance and eventual component replacement. | Cleaner air and local jobs are possible; communities need fair participation and benefit-sharing. |
| Forests and other ecosystems | Protecting and restoring forests can avoid emissions and remove some carbon, making them part of—but not a substitute for—fossil-fuel cuts. | Protection can prevent immediate losses; restoration takes longer and depends on land stewardship. | Stored carbon is vulnerable to fire, drought, pests and future land-use change. | Biodiversity, water and Indigenous and local rights are central to an equitable approach. |
The comparison exposes a common policy mistake: counting an announcement as delivery. A solar or wind target without grid connections, or a forest pledge without durable protection and community rights, does not produce the promised reduction. Governments need transparent progress checks against actual emissions and built infrastructure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What individuals and institutions can do
Personal choices cannot substitute for national and international policy, but they can reduce demand, build political support and lower exposure to pollution and heat. Useful actions include choosing efficient homes and appliances, reducing fossil-fuel use where practical, supporting reliable public or shared transport, avoiding food waste, and voting or campaigning for credible climate plans. Institutions can measure emissions, set procurement standards, improve building efficiency and press suppliers and policymakers for implementation.
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Further reading
For a broad, multidisciplinary introduction, Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book (Penguin Books, 2022; ISBN 9780593492321) brings together contributions from more than 100 experts, including geophysicists, oceanographers, meteorologists, engineers, economists, historians, philosophers and Indigenous leaders.
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The most meaningful test is whether emissions begin falling at the pace required for 2030 and 2035, while the physical indicators continue to be monitored. Annual temperature records will vary, but the long-term direction depends on cumulative greenhouse-gas emissions. Rapid, large-scale and fairly delivered cuts can still limit additional warming; delay locks in more change and higher adaptation costs.
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