2024: The Year of Climate Tipping Points - What’s at Stake?
How many weird, crazy, bizarre weather events have you witnessed in the past 12 months? Tropical storms, earthquakes, floods, large scale wildfires…
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) originally predicted that global temperatures would rise 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by the mid-2030s, with 1.5°C being a critical threshold outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement. New analyses taking into account more data revealed that it could actually be as early as 2029. As of the 10th of January 2025, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that 2024 was the warmest year on record, reaching a high of about 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. The primary cause of the record-breaking temperatures in 2024 is the continued release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (we wonder how much greenhouse gas is released when waging war… but we’ll table that for our conversation around SDG 16). However, surpassing the 1.5°C limit for one month or even a year is an early sign that humanity is getting frighteningly close to exceeding the long-term limit, and serves as a screeching loud call to increase our collective ambition and accelerated action towards combating climate change.
SDG 13: Climate Action is more urgent than ever. We, as a united collective, must act now to mitigate the consequences of our actions.
What You Can Do? After taking the Unity Poll:
Business Owners: Commit to net-zero targets and invest in renewable energy. For example, companies like Google are already powering operations with 100% renewable energy. Implement remote work instead of prioritizing office-work.
Employees: Advocate for remote work policies and participate in corporate and personal sustainability initiatives.
The climate crisis is a shared challenge—let’s turn it into a shared opportunity. 🌍
Lead writer : Natasha Shilubane