Islamabad, Dec 10: Europe’s climate monitor has confirmed that 2024 is “effectively certain” to be the hottest year on record and the first to exceed the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7°F) climate benchmark.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that an unprecedented heatwave from January to November has pushed global temperatures to such extremes that 2024 will surpass 2023 as the hottest year ever.
According to Copernicus, the high temperatures seen this year make it virtually certain that 2024 will set the record.
This conclusion is based on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations, with records going back to 1940. Other data sources, such as ice cores, tree rings, and coral skeletons, provide additional evidence stretching back even further.
Scientists believe that the current period is likely the warmest the planet has been in the last 125,000 years. November 2023, for example, was the second-warmest November on record, and Portugal experienced its hottest-ever November, with temperatures 2.69°C (4.84°F) above the 1981-2010 average.
2024 will also be the first year to see temperatures rise more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, a critical threshold agreed upon in the Paris climate accord to prevent catastrophic climate impacts.
However, current global efforts are far from meeting the 1.5°C target, with projections indicating a potential 3.1°C (5.6°F) increase if climate action does not accelerate.
The continued rise in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels remains the primary driver of climate change, despite global pledges to transition away from coal, oil, and gas.
The consequences of this warming are becoming increasingly apparent, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and severe.
This year alone has seen devastating floods in Spain and Kenya, violent tropical storms in the United States and the Philippines, and severe droughts and wildfires in South America. At the UN climate talks in November, wealthy countries pledged to contribute $300 billion annually by 2035, though critics argue that this commitment is insufficient to address the growing crisis.
