On the occasion of the New Year 2025, Mr. António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, sent a message reflecting the severity of the climate change crisis that global society is currently facing. He called on countries around the world to implement serious measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set the first month’s goal of the year to focus on activities related to SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. Everyone must have access to clean and affordable energy, which is key to many aspects of life, including healthcare, education, transportation, communication, business, and agriculture, to avoid the devastating impacts that may continue to occur in the future.

“Today I can officially report that we have experienced a dangerous decade of heat. We must exit this road to ruin — and we have no time to lose.”

— António Guterres, UN Secretary-General

The UN Secretary-General’s statement brings us to look back at 2024, which was predicted to be the hottest year in history. The global average temperature in 2024 was 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial era and marked the end of an unprecedented decade of heat. The main cause stems from human activities that release greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, according to data from The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), with trends indicating continued record-breaking extreme heat in 2025.

Throughout 2024, various reports from the WMO community emphasized the importance of urgent action to combat the accelerating pace of climate change and highlighted the connections between climate change and social, economic, and environmental problems affecting all aspects of sustainable development. Record-breaking heavy rainfall, severe flooding, intense heat waves with temperatures exceeding 50°C, and wildfires were recorded, causing immeasurable damage and losses to those affected in many areas worldwide. At least 3,700 people died and many became displaced due to increasingly severe natural disasters, with climate change as a factor that intensified the severity and caused dangerous temperatures for human health and ecosystems to increase by 41 days in 2024, according to a new report from World Weather Attribution and Climate Central titled When Risks Become Reality: Extreme Weather In 2024 .

Although the current situation may seem bleak, the UN Secretary-General said he “sees hope driving change.” He praised activists of all ages who came forward to call for progress, humanitarian heroes who overcame obstacles to support the most vulnerable people, as well as scientists and innovators who are creating new things for humanity.

He also emphasized the importance of the “Pact for Future,” which was adopted last September, requiring UN member countries to work together to build peace through disarmament and prevention, promote gender equality and human rights, reform global finance, and ensure that technology will “prioritize people over profit, and rights over algorithms.”

Ultimately, if countries do not take urgent and effective action, global society may face situations that are too severe to remedy. Today’s decisions will determine the future of the world we pass on to the next generation.

The Secretary-General concluded that there is no guarantee what the future will hold in 2025, but pledged to stand alongside those working to create a peaceful, equal, stable, and healthy future for all.

“Together, we can make 2025 a new beginning, not as a divided world, but as united nations.”

It is hoped that the cooperation and actions that emerge will lead to truly sustainable development at the global level in the years to come.

🌍✨

Strategy and International Cooperation Coordination Division
Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council

References

2024 to become the hottest year on record. (2024, December 30). UN News. Retrieved January 8, 2025, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1158621

Climate change impacts grip globe in 2024. (2024, December 30). World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved January 8, 2025, from https://wmo.int/media/news/climate-change-impacts-grip-globe-2024

In New Year’s Message, Guterres urges countries to drastically slash emissions and ‘exit this road to ruin.’ (2025, January 1). UN News. Retrieved January 8, 2025, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1158611

United Nations. (n.d.). GOAL OF THE MONTH – Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – United Nations Sustainable Development. United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved January 8, 2025, from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/goal-of-the-month/

World Meteorological Organization. (2024, November 11). 2024 is on track to be hottest year on record as warming temporarily hits 1.5°C [Press release]. Retrieved January 8, 2025, from https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/2024-track-be-hottest-year-record-warming-temporarily-hits-15degc

World Weather Attribution & Climate Central. (2025, December 27). When Risks Become Reality: Extreme weather in 2024. World Weather Attribution. Retrieved January 8, 2025, from https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/when-risks-become-reality-extreme-weather-in-2024/

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