2024: UK’s fourth warmest year on record highlights urgency for climate action
2024 is ranked as the UK’s fourth warmest year on record, coming in just behind 2022, 2023, and 2014 – according to the Met Office’s latest analysis. The top 10 warmest years have now occurred since the year 2000, with half in the most recent decade 2015-2024.
Warmest spring and record-breaking February
Last year the UK had its coolest summer in 9 years, but spring was the warmest on record. February 2024 was also a warm record breaker for the UK, being 2.2°C above the climate average.
Another year, and more climate records broken. The consequences of our reliance on burning fossil fuels are all too clear, with floods, hot spells, and storms all made worse by climate change.
Professor Ed Hawkins – climate scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science based at the University of Reading
Climate Stripes: Visualising the UK’s rising temperatures
A new stripe for 2024 has been added to the colourful stripes graphic that visually represents the changing climate. Each stripe, or bar, represents the temperature averaged over a year.
“Illustrating the rise in average temperature, the UK’s stripes turn from mainly blue to mainly red and then darker red in recent years,” explains Professor Ed Hawkins.
The growing impact of climate change in the UK
Ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever, to slow down rising temperatures and reduce global climate impacts on weather, food security, water resources, biodiversity, infrastructure, economy, and people’s health.
Professor Ed Hawkins reminds us that climate change is not just a future concern: “Climate impacts close to home in the UK, like heavy rain, flooding, and heatwaves, are increasingly affecting people here and now.”
Public perception: Climate change remains a top concern
Climate change and the environment – as an important issue facing the UK – has generally remained a concern for the public over the past few years.
The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey in 2024, based on adults in Great Britain, from the Office for National Statistics reveals that 59% state climate change as an important issue alongside the NHS, cost of living, the economy, crime, and housing.
5 steps we can all take to tackle climate change
Tackling climate change requires world leaders to act on a global level, but we can all take some positive steps. Consider if you feel able to do one or more of these 5 pledges for 2025:
- Talk about climate change with friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, local groups and community centres, environmental organisations, and your MP – and find out what people in your area are thinking and doing to tackle climate change.
- Walk, cycle, scoot, or use public transport instead of a car. Consider offering or asking for lifts for regular journeys, and both short or long distance drives. Going car-free or switching to an electric car will greatly reduce your carbon footprint, but is not possible for everyone. Reduce the number of flights you take if you tend to fly a lot, and take shorter domestic flights by train instead.
- Use less energy (and save money) by turning off lights, appliances, televisions or games consoles when not using them – and turn down the heating and take shorter showers if it feels comfortable to do so. Draught-proof your home to be warmer, especially around windows and doors. Switch to a renewable energy supplier and get better deals. Look into grants to install heat pumps and solar power, upgrade boilers, and improve installation.
- Reduce food waste (and make your money go further) by creating meal plans and planning portion sizes, saving leftovers for another meal, or donating unwanted food to other people and food banks. Cut down on eating high carbon footprint food like dairy and meat, especially beef and lamb.
- Choose the most energy-efficient products, such as kettles and washing machines when they need replacing – or look to buy refurbished appliances. For tools and equipment you use infrequently, look to lend them out or borrow from others and community groups. Try to reuse and repair items to make them last longer, or swap and donate things you no longer need or want. Try buying second hand to reduce waste and save money, before getting something brand new.
This year I will continue to talk passionately about climate change on social media and with journalists, to help people access the information they need to make choices about taking action on climate change. At home, we have just switched to an electric vehicle! We’ll also keep eating almost entirely vegetarian meals.
Professor Ed Hawkins – climate scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and University of Reading
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