How much has the Earth warmed?
By 2024 the global average temperature was about 1.5 degrees Celsius above the late 1800s, and the planet is warming at roughly 0.2 degrees per decade. That may sound small, but it is fast, and it is global.
About 1.5 degrees, and rising
Several independent teams agree that 2024 was the warmest year on record, at roughly 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, with 2023 close behind. The ten warmest years on record have all occurred in the most recent decade or so.
A degree or two sounds minor next to the swing between a cold morning and a warm afternoon. But this is a global yearly average, and global averages move slowly. The difference between now and the depths of an ice age is only a handful of degrees.
Why the rate matters
The warming is happening at around 0.2 degrees per decade, far faster than the natural warming that ended the last ice age. Speed matters because farming, cities, coastlines and ecosystems are built around a relatively stable climate and adapt slowly.
Heat is showing up everywhere
Surface temperature is only part of it. Ocean heat content is rising, ice is shrinking, and sea level is climbing. These independent indicators all point the same way.
You can see CO2 and temperature plotted together on the evidence page.
Frequently asked
About 1.5 degrees Celsius above the late 1800s average by 2024, with the warmest years all occurring recently.
Yes. It is a global yearly average, which moves slowly, and the change is happening about ten times faster than the natural warming that ended the last ice age.
Roughly 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade in recent decades.