2024 Becomes Hottest Year on Record
2024 went down in history as the hottest year on record. For the first time, global temperatures exceeded the agreed international warming limit of 1.5°C. This is stated in a report by the EU climate service Copernicus, The Guardian reports.
The average global temperature in 2024 was 1.6°C higher than the pre-industrial level of 15.1°C, which is 0.1°C more than in 2023, when the previous record was set.
Copernicus research also shows that on 10 July 2024, almost 44% of the Earth's surface faced severe or extreme heat stress, and 22 July was the hottest day on record.
‘The likelihood of exceeding the 1.5°C long-term average set by the Paris Agreement is now extremely high. These record global temperatures, along with unprecedented levels of atmospheric moisture, have caused heat waves and heavy rainfall that have caused suffering for millions of people,’ said Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess.
Friederike Otto, a climatologist at Imperial College London, noted that 2024 was a vivid example of how dangerous extreme weather events are when temperatures rise.
‘Floods in Valencia, hurricanes in the US, typhoons in the Philippines, and drought in the Amazon are just a few of the many disasters exacerbated by climate change. And there are many more. The world doesn't need a magic solution - we already know what needs to be done: we need to abandon fossil fuels, stop deforestation and adapt society to the new realities,’ Otto said.
Warmer air retains more moisture, which contributes to more frequent rainstorms and floods. Higher ocean temperatures are also triggering stronger hurricanes and typhoons, which cause widespread destruction.
In 2024, the average person experienced an additional six weeks of dangerously hot days, exacerbating the deadly impact of high temperatures globally.
The world is on a trajectory towards catastrophic warming of 2.7°C by the end of the century. To keep the chances of limiting warming to 1.5°C, fossil fuel emissions must be reduced by 45% by 2030.
‘Every year that follows will be one of the hottest on record, and 2024, despite the record heat, will ultimately be considered one of the coldest years of this century,’ said Andrew Dessler, a climatologist at Texas A&M University.
As The Gaze previously reported, in 2024, meteorologists registered record heat even in the Scandinavian countries, including Finland's northernmost province, Lapland.