The year 2024 was the hottest year on record since records began in 1850, highlighting the urgent need for strong global action to combat climate change, Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Friday.
2024 was also the first calendar year in which the global average temperature exceeded pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, breaking the critical threshold set by the Paris Agreement, the organisation said in a press release.
In 2024, earth’s average temperature will be 15.1 degrees Celsius, up 0.12 degrees from 2023, which was previously considered the warmest on record. According to C3S, this is 1.6 degrees above the pre-industrial level estimate. The average for 2023-2024 is also noted to be more than 1.5 degrees above the pre-industrial level.
The Paris Agreement aims to achieve a global temperature increase of significantly less than two degrees above pre-industrial levels. By the end of the century, the increase should not exceed 1.5 degrees. The statement said:
“While this does not mean we have breached the limit set by the Paris Agreement, we are talking about temperature anomalies averaged over at least 20 years, it emphasises that global temperatures are rising above levels that modern humans have ever experienced.”
The C3S data show that the total amount of water vapour in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2024. It is about 5 per cent higher than the 1991-2020 average and significantly higher than in 2023. Samantha Burgess, Strategic Climate Manager at the European Centre for Medium-Term Weather Forecasts, said:
“Such high global temperatures combined with record levels of atmospheric water vapour in 2024 have led to unprecedented heat waves and heavy rainfall, affecting millions of people.”
El Niño’s influence
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency, C3S climatologist Julien Nicolas attributed the extreme temperatures mainly to anthropogenic climate change, adding that other factors such as El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon that raises Pacific Ocean surface temperatures, also contributed to the high temperatures seen throughout the year.
Acknowledging the urgency of the situation, C3S Director Carlo Buontempo stressed that “the future is in our hands, swift and decisive action can still change the trajectory of future climate development.”
