Nimli (Rajasthan): The year 2024 has officially been recorded as the warmest year in history, marking a critical threshold in climate change, according to the latest State of India's Environment report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

Speaking at the Anil Agarwal Dialogue 2025, CSE Director General Sunita Narain highlighted both progress and challenges in environmental management. “While environmental consciousness is growing, policies remain inadequate, institutions weak, and management expensive,” she noted.

The report, citing the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, states that 2024 was the first calendar year to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The average global temperature reached 1.60°C above the 1850-1900 benchmark, signaling a shift into a post-climate change era.

Kiran Pandey, CSE's Programme Director for Environmental Resources, described 2024 as a defining moment: “This year has divided the pre- and post-climate change eras, with rising atmospheric moisture fueling extreme weather events.”

India witnessed an alarming increase in extreme weather, with such events occurring on 255 of the first 274 days in 2024—higher than in 2023 and 2022. The agricultural sector bore the brunt, with 3.2 million hectares of cropland affected, a 74% rise from 2022.

As discussions continue, experts stress the need for urgent policy reforms to mitigate the growing climate crisis and protect future generations from escalating environmental disruptions.