Data confirming 2024 as the hottest year on record – and the first to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels – should trigger “unprecedented” climate action, said the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). “The Copernicus climate data is a wake-up call that highlights the urgent need to invest in a just transition to warm homes, clean energy and nature-friendly farming,” said Isabella O’Dowd, WWF’s Head of Climate Policy. “It’s time to put policy into action and the money on the table to finance a just transition to a low-carbon future and turn the temperature down. Climate action now is a downpayment to grow the economy and build the businesses of the future.” The European Commission-supported Copernicus Climate Change Service said that human-induced climate change remained the primary driver of extreme air and sea surface temperatures, with other factors, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, also contributing. In November, COP29 ended with no new common pledge to increase investment in renewable energy after parties had agreed at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels. “We need record increases in renewable energy generation, ecosystem restoration and finance for climate and nature in 2025,” said Fernanda Carvalho, WWF Global Climate and Energy Policy Lead. “Multilateralism remains the best and only solution to engage all countries in this vital mission. It must be strengthened this year.” James Alexander, CEO of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, said the financial system must rapidly transition away from activities that accelerate climate change. “Every week we encounter investors who have faced policy barriers like planning permission and grid connections which prevent them from investing in otherwise viable renewables projects,” he said. “The sustainable transition is the economic opportunity of the century, but only if policymakers urgently remove these barriers”.
