Global Average Temperature Rises by 1.54 Degrees Compared to Pre-Industrial Levels from January to September

Exceeds the 1.5-Degree Target Set by the Paris Climate Agreement

In 2015, the international community set a goal through the Paris Climate Agreement to limit the rise in global average temperature to within 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. According to analyses by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), if the global average temperature increases by more than 1.5 degrees, the frequency and severity of extreme climate disasters are expected to rise sharply.

With the global average temperature already up by about 1 degree, further increases of 0.5 degrees are projected to lead to more frequent extreme heatwaves, wildfires, and floods. Scientists warn that if the temperature exceeds 1.5 degrees, the damage to Earth's ecosystems and human society will expand dramatically. The '1.5-degree' temperature limit is not just a number, but the final safeguard to prevent catastrophic climate disasters.

However, it was recently announced that the global average temperature from January to September this year has risen by 1.54 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels, surpassing this critical threshold.

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Recently, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) stated in its '2024 Global Climate Status Report' that the global average temperature from January to September 2024 rose by 1.54 degrees compared to the pre-industrial period (1850?1900). This is higher than last year’s record of 1.45 degrees, which was previously the hottest year.

The WMO explained that the global average temperature has increased for 16 consecutive months from June last year to September this year. Since the 1.5-degree target set by the Paris Agreement refers to long-term warming over several decades, some argue that the recent temperature rise does not mean the Paris Agreement’s goal has been permanently lost. However, if the frequency of global average temperature increases exceeding 1.5 degrees becomes more common, the human and economic damage in each country is expected to grow further.

In the case of Korea, the economic damage caused by climate disasters over the past decade has reached 16 trillion won. Climate Solution, an environmental organization, together with the office of National Assembly member Mo Kyungjong from the Democratic Party, published a policy report titled 'Revenge of the Climate: Analysis of Climate Disaster Damage Patterns by Year and Region over 10 Years.' The report stated that direct damages from climate disasters between 2013 and 2023 amounted to 4.1 trillion won, and the cost of recovery was 11.8 trillion won. The combined economic damage reached 15.9 trillion won.

During the same period, there were 341 casualties, with a significant increase in human losses after 2018, which recorded the worst heatwave since meteorological observations began. The average annual casualty count was 4 from 2013 to 2017, but it jumped to 53.5 from 2018 to 2023.

Climate Solution analyzed, "Looking at the changes in the scale of climate disasters by year, as the average global temperature rises compared to pre-industrial levels, the scale of climate disasters in Korea has also tended to increase."