The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has declared that 2024 is “virtually certain” to be the hottest year on record, with global temperatures expected to exceed pre-industrial levels by 1.5°C for the first time.
The report, released ahead of COP29, reveals that the first 10 months of 2024 were 0.71°C above the 1991-2020 average, and 0.16°C hotter than the same period in 2023.
For 2024 not to be the hottest year, global temperatures would need to drop significantly, which is deemed unlikely.
This year’s temperature rise exceeding the 1.5°C threshold aligns with the Paris Agreement’s target, which aims to limit global warming to this level to avoid severe climate impacts like more frequent droughts, heatwaves, and heavy rainfall.
The report also highlights temperature anomalies in various regions, with Europe, northern Canada, the central and western U.S., and parts of Asia and Australia seeing particularly high temperatures.
Additionally, Arctic and Antarctic sea ice levels are at their fourth and second lowest extents for October, respectively.
Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, emphasized that this new milestone should spur increased action at the upcoming COP29 to address climate change.
