Aug. 25, 2025
Latest State of the Climate Report 2024 reveals record extremes in global climate
ESA satellite data records provide critical evidence of Earth's changing climate for authoritative report
Record-breaking heat, intensifying extremes: The State of the Climate Report 2024, published by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS), confirms that global surface temperatures have been at record highs for the second consecutive year, with the period from 2015 to 2024 now recognised as the warmest decade on record. The cascading effects are clear: all 58 reference glaciers of global importance lost ice; atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations reached new peaks; extreme rainfall hit record levels; and permafrost temperatures climbed to record highs.
ESA's Climate Change Initiative (ESA CCI) provides critical satellite evidence to support these findings. Insights include 'super-extreme hotspots' with land surface temperatures exceeding 50–60 °C, the highest recorded global lake surface temperature anomalies (with over half of observed lakes above +0.5 °C versus 1995–2020), sharp contrasts in soil moisture from a water-swollen Sahel to drought across the United States and accelerating rock glacier movement as permafrost thaws. At the same time, stratospheric ozone experienced a positive year, with levels in the Northern Hemisphere the highest since satellite monitoring began.
This internationally peer-reviewed report, issued annually, compiles observations from satellites, stations, oceans and expeditions, providing an authoritative record of how our climate is evolving .
Get more insights into ESA CCI’s contribution here: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_climate/ESA_data_records_help_underpin_climate_change_report
