CAMPAIGNERS condemned the government for wearing “fossil fuel-sponsored ear defenders” after a landmark report by leading climate scientists warned that the planet is on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster.

The 2024 State of the Climate Report tracked 35 of the planet’s “vital signs” used to track climate change, and found that 25 of them, including CO2 levels, have hit record extremes. 

It found that surface temperature had reached an all-time high, with global daily mean temperatures at record levels for nearly half of 2023 and much of 2024.