2024 breaks records as hottest year ever, exceeding 1.5-degree C threshold

2024 recorded a global average temperature of 15.10 degrees Celsius, 1.60 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, driven by record-high greenhouse gas emissions

The year 2024 was the hottest globally, marking the first time average global temperatures surpassed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels, according to data shared by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on Friday. This ‘extraordinary’ surge in temperature has intensified concerns over the accelerating threat of climate change.

 

Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane reached new highs, with CO2 at 422 ppm and methane at 1897 ppb, further exacerbating the climate crisis.

 

2015-24 hottest decade recorded

The recorded global average temperature in 2024 was 15.10 degrees Celsius, which was 1.60 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. It surpassed 2023, which was the previous warmest year, driven by record-high greenhouse gas emissions.  

 

 

The C3S report revealed that 2024 was the hottest year on record for all continental regions, excluding Antarctica and Australasia. It also highlighted significant warming in major oceanic regions, including the North Atlantic, Indian, and western Pacific Oceans.

 

Each of the past ten years (2015-2024) ranks among the warmest on record. Notably, monthly temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for 11 months in 2024, the report said.

 

A new daily global average temperature high of 17.16 degrees Celsius was recorded on July 22, 2024.

 

Rising climate disasters around the world

The series of climate disasters in 2024, including devastating floods and severe heatwaves, were not mere anomalies but were directly linked to human-induced climate change, primarily driven by increased carbon dioxide and methane emissions.

 

Moreover, global atmospheric water levels in 2024 reached unprecedented highs, at 5 per cent above the 1991-2020 average.

 

Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts commented, “These high global temperatures, coupled with record global atmospheric water vapour levels in 2024, meant unprecedented heatwaves and heavy rainfall events, causing misery for millions of people.”

 

Human activity fuelling climate change

The report also highlighted that human-induced climate change was the primary driver of the extreme temperatures in 2024. The naturally occurring El Nino phenomenon, which ended last June, also contributed to the heat surge.

El Nino refers to the periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean, which influences global weather patterns.

 

Breach of the 2015 Paris Agreement

This marks the first full year in which average temperatures exceeded the targets set by the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aimed to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

 

This data release comes days before President-elect Donald Trump is expected to announce the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, a significant setback in global efforts to combat climate change.

 

Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus, expressed his alarm, stating, “Humanity is in charge of its own destiny but how we respond to the climate challenge should be based on evidence. The future is in our hands - swift and decisive action can still alter the trajectory of our future climate.”

 

2025 to be cooler, yet top three hottest years

Although this breach of the Paris Agreement’s targets is based on yearly data rather than the decades-long averages specified in the accord, it has raised significant alarm about the rapid progression of climate change.

 

Looking ahead, 2025 is expected to be cooler due to the onset of a weak La Nina cycle, characterised by cooler ocean temperatures. However, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts cautioned that it would still likely rank among the three hottest years on record.