2024 Declared Hottest Year on Record, Passing 1.5C Global Warming Limit
2024 has officially been named the hottest year ever recorded, with average global temperatures surpassing 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. This milestone, confirmed by multiple global climate centers including the Met Office and Copernicus Climate Change Service, signals a troubling acceleration in the planet’s warming.
Data from the Met Office shows that global temperatures in 2024 were 1.53°C above pre-industrial levels, while Copernicus recorded a slightly higher average of 1.6°C. These figures highlight not only the severity of human-induced climate change but also the role of natural phenomena like El Niño, which temporarily added about 0.2°C to the year’s temperature.
While the El Niño effect has now waned, scientists warn that its lingering impact, combined with ongoing fossil fuel emissions, leaves the planet “teetering on the edge” of consistent 1.5°C warming. Dr. Myles Allen of the University of Oxford noted that long-term averages could cross the 1.5°C threshold as early as the 2030s.
Experts emphasize that this breach is not equivalent to permanently surpassing the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target, which focuses on long-term averages. Still, the symbolic significance cannot be ignored. “It’s a foretaste of life at 1.5°C,” said Professor Piers Forster of the UK’s Climate Change Committee.
The impacts of 2024’s extreme heat were felt across the globe. Blistering heat waves scorched West Africa, while Southern Africa experienced its worst drought in a century, leaving six million people in Zambia facing starvation. In the U.S., California endured devastating wildfires exacerbated by high temperatures and dry conditions. Meanwhile, record-breaking rainfall caused flooding in Spain, and Central Europe was hit with intense storms.
The last decade has been the warmest on record, underscoring the urgency of addressing rising greenhouse gas emissions. Samantha Burgess of Copernicus stressed, “By far and away, the largest contribution impacting our climate is greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.”
Urgent calls for action
Despite this grim outlook, climate experts stress that action can still make a difference. “Every fraction of a degree matters,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus. Reducing emissions could help limit future warming to 1.6°C or 1.7°C, avoiding the catastrophic impacts of a 3°C or 4°C rise.
Calls for urgent action are growing louder. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the situation as a “climate breakdown,” urging nations to slash emissions by 2025. Professor Tim Osborn of the University of East Anglia added, “The world has not yet begun to reduce its use of fossil fuels, and as a result, global temperature continues to rise.”
As 2025 approaches, the scientific community remains hopeful that swift, decisive efforts can alter the trajectory of climate change. However, experts warn that the window for meaningful action is rapidly closing.
