2024 Set to be the Hottest Year on Record Worldwide: Copernicus
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Brussels, Jan 10 (NationPress) The year 2024 is officially recognized as the hottest year globally since records began in 1850, emphasizing the critical need for urgent global action against climate change, according to the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on Friday.
2024 also signifies the first calendar year where the average global temperature surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a significant threshold established by the Paris Agreement, as reported by the Xinhua news agency citing the European climate body's press release.
This year, the global average temperature reached 15.1 degrees Celsius, which is 0.12 degrees Celsius higher than 2023, the previous record holder. This corresponds to 1.6 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial estimates, according to Copernicus.
The statement mentioned that the combined average for 2023 and 2024 also exceeded the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels.
The Paris Agreement aims to restrict global warming to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with a goal to cap it at 1.5 degrees Celsius by the century's end.
While this does not imply that we have breached the limit set by the Paris Agreement—which pertains to temperature anomalies averaged over at least 20 years—it highlights that global temperatures are rising beyond what modern humans have ever encountered, the statement pointed out.
Data from the climate change service reveals that the total atmospheric water vapor reached a record level in 2024, approximately 5 percent above the 1991-2020 average, and significantly surpassed 2023 levels.
These elevated global temperatures, combined with record atmospheric water vapor levels in 2024, resulted in unprecedented heatwaves and heavy rainfall events, bringing hardship to millions, stated Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, C3S climate scientist Julien Nicolas attributed the extreme temperatures mainly to human-induced climate change, noting that additional factors such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation—a natural climate pattern that raises ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific—also played a role in the high temperatures seen this year.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, C3S Director Carlo Buontempo stressed, “The future is in our hands—swift and decisive action can still alter the trajectory of our future climate.”
