According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, 2024 is projected to be the hottest year on record for the European Union. Intense heatwaves and severe storms have marked the year, indicating increasingly potent effects of climate change. The global average temperature is expected to exceed pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, making this the first year to surpass this threshold.
These elevated temperatures are primarily attributed to human activities, with natural factors such as the El Niño phenomenon playing a lesser role. Scientists warn that this record should serve as a critical alert ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), scheduled to take place in Azerbaijan next week. Liz Bentley, CEO of the Royal Meteorological Society, stated, "This latest record should be a further warning to COP29 governments. Urgent action is required to mitigate further warming."
In the first ten months of 2024, the global temperature was so high that only a drastic drop in November and December could prevent the previous record from being broken. Estimates suggest that the temperature in 2024 will be at least 1.55 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times, as reported by C3S.
The term 'pre-industrial levels' refers to the reference period from 1850 to 1900, which is approximately when human activities started significantly warming the planet through the burning of fossil fuels. The current record of 1.48 degrees Celsius was set last year, and forecasts indicate that it will likely be surpassed this year.