We’ve Crossed a Key Threshold for Climate Change. There’s No Going Back Now.

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1. The official numbers are in, and 2024 was the [hottest year in recorded history](https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-confirms-2024-warmest-year-record-about-155degc-above-pre-industrial-level)—and almost surely also the hottest year [in the history of human civilization](https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/what%E2%80%99s-hottest-earth-has-been-%E2%80%9Clately%E2%80%9D).

   The meme in which Homer Simpson explains to Bart that what he’s experiencing [is the *coldest* weather of the rest of his life](https://x.com/JPHilllllll/status/1408145115768569861?lang=en) feels apt here. The world keeps getting hotter and hotter; we know that. But this new record is, in fact, additionally terrible. 2024 was also the first year that global temperatures have crossed the 1.5 Celsius degree mark that the world agreed to *not* cross [just 10 years ago in Paris](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/12/paris-climate-agreement-will-lower-emissions-and-usher-in-end-of-the-fossil-fuel-era.html).

   To understand why this specific temperature matters so much, we need to rewind a bit…

   For more: [https://slate.com/technology/2025/01/hottest-year-paris-agreement-2024-fires.html](https://slate.com/technology/2025/01/hottest-year-paris-agreement-2024-fires.html)

2. “Lol shut up nerd” – politician who took a $50K bribe from Coca Cola, Exxon, DuPont, etc to put their head in the sand

3. We treat the economic system like its god and the planet like its toilet paper. If we don’t rise up now and fight for our planet, then these oligarchs are just going to destroy it for the sake of prosperity.

4. Climate Change isn’t real it’s Humans causing all this chaos. Let’s just blame God for climate change because he controls the weather. No but wait Satan and his demons were cast into earth its them causing all this distraction. No wait it was the Governor of California and the LA Lesbian Authorities. Blame, blame, blame, “ He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.

5. Feels extremely surreal to watch as the planet speeds down the track to inevitable doom and everyone just keeps going on about their lives as if nothing is happening. 

6. Is it time for the Children of Kali? Let me know when it is.

7. “Climate change is a hoax! The sea level rose like a quarter of an inch in the last 400 years? Cmon!” – Donald Trump

8. My kid just turned 1.5 yo today. I fear for his and humanity’s future. It won’t be easy

9. Start making your bucket lists and start doing them now before things get to the point where you won’t be able to anymore.

10. I mean, we crossed it in like 2012.

11. Interesting times.

12. Congrats, everyone!

    It has been hard work, but we did it! We’ve finally hit that coveted milestone in climate change: turning the planet into a giant, sweaty sauna. That’s right, no more seasonal confusion! Who needs winter coats or snow days when you can enjoy the thrill of spontaneous heatwaves in January?

    We’ve truly outdone ourselves. Decades of teamwork, from single-use plastics to coal-burning power plants, and let’s not forget our dedication to driving three blocks instead of walking. Every effort, no matter how small, has counted. Even our collective refusal to read the fine print on those “This is bad for the environment” warnings has paid off in spades.

    Let’s take a moment to honor the MVPs of this achievement:

    * Oil companies, for their relentless innovation in extracting every last drop of black gold, even from places that probably just wanted to be left alone.
    * Billionaires, for pioneering the “buy a rocket and yeet yourself to space” trend instead of fixing the planet they’ll inevitably return to.
    * And, of course, every one of us who thought, “Surely, my disposable coffee cup won’t matter!” Spoiler: It did!

    But this isn’t just about basking in the glow of our accomplishments (or, you know, the glow of the melting Arctic). It’s about looking to the future. We’re on the brink of unlocking exciting new opportunities like year-round mosquito season and beachfront property in Nebraska. Plus, think of all the new tech we’ll need to invent just to stay alive, like air conditioners that double as scuba gear. Innovation, baby!

    So here’s to us! We’re not just changing the climate; we’re redefining it. The dinosaurs may have been wiped out by an asteroid, but we’re going out in style, by our own hands. Now that’s the human spirit.

    NEXT UP: MORE MICROPLASTICS FOR EVERYONE!!!

13. For the last few years we’ve had a steady stream of catastrophic climate events that have resulted in many homes and lives lost. Each time one occurs I think it may be the wake up call that pushes humanity to take climate change efforts seriously. I felt that way after seeing the devastation from hurricane milton and helene. The recent fires razing whole neighborhoods in LA has looked apocalyptic. I hope we can start to learn and change soon because these climate events will only get more frequent and destructive.

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