“The future is in our hands – quick and decisive action could even change the trajectory of our future climate”, warns the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record worldwide and the first year in which the global average temperature exceeded 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level.
“All internationally produced global temperature datasets show that 2024 was the hottest year since records began in 1850. Humanity is in charge of its own destiny and how we respond to the climate challenge must be evidence-based. The future is in our hands – quick and decisive action could yet alter the trajectory of our future climate,” alert Carlo Buontempo, director do .
Global surface air temperature increases above reference period pre-industrial period from 1850-1900, based on several global temperature data sets presented as annual averages since 1967 (left) and as 5-year averages since 1850 (right).
Human-caused global warming remains the main cause of extreme air and sea surface temperatures; other factors, such as the also contributed to the unusual temperatures observed during the year.
The global average temperature exceeded 1.5°C of warminglimit stipulated in the 2015. This visa agreement keep global warming “well below 2°C”, with additional efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. To consider this limit exceeded, the average must remain above 1.5°C for 20 to 30 years.
Global surface air temperature highlights:
- 2024 was the hottest year in global temperature records since 1850: the global average temperature was 15.10°C – 0.72°C above the 1991-2020 average and 0.2°C above Isto is equivalent to 1.60°C above an estimated temperature of 1850-1900 referred to as the pre-industrial era.
- 2024 is the first calendar year that reached more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level.
- Each of the last 10 years (2015–2024) has been the hottest on record.
- The monthly global average temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for 11 months of the year. Every month since July 2023, except July 2024, has exceeded the 1.5°C level.
- A new record for daily global average temperature was reached in July 22, 2024, with 17.16°C.
- 2024 was the hottest year for all continental regions except Antarctica and Australasiaas well as for considerable parts of the ocean, particularly the North Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific Ocean.
- 2024 registered three record hot seasons for the season corresponding year: boreal winter (December 2023 to February 2024), boreal spring (March to May) and boreal summer (June to August) with 0.78°C, 0.68°C and 0.69°C, respectively, above the 1991-2020 average.
- Each month from January to June 2024 was hotter than the corresponding month of any previous year on record. Every month from July to December except August was the second hottest, after 2023, for that time of year. Ataste of 2024 was tied with agosto de 2023 as the hottest on record.
Ocean Surface Temperature Highlights:
- In 2024, the (TSM) over the ocean extrapolate reached a record high of 20.87°C, 0.51°C above the 1991–2020 average.
- The mean extrapolate SST reached record levels for this time of year, from January to June 2024, continuing the record series of months seen in the second half of 2023. From July to December 2024, the SST was the second warmest on record for the time of year, after 2023.
- The year 2024 saw the end of the El Niño event that began in 2023 and the transition to more neutral conditions or La Niña.
Temperature highlights in Europe:
- 2024 was the hottest year on record for Europe, with an average temperature of 10.69°C, 1.47°C above the average for the reference period 1991-2020 and 0.28°C warmer than the previous record set in 2020.
- A primavera and summer were the hottest ever recorded in Europewith the average spring temperature (March-May) 1.50°C higher than the 1991-2020 seasonal average and the average summer temperature (June-August) 1.54°C above the 1991-2020 seasonal average.
Surface air temperature anomalies for 2024 relative to the 1991–2020 reference period average.
Torrential rains, heat waves, extreme droughts
The effects of global warming have become increasingly evident, with extreme weather events intensifying. By 2024, extreme weather events have been observed across the world, from severe storms and floods to heat waves, droughts and wildfires.
Torrential rains caused resulting in more than 200 deaths, mainly in the Valencia region. In October, Copernicus recorded above-average rainfall in the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in France, northern Italy and Norway.
“O world is not on the right track”
A UN warns that the world is not on track to meet the goal of limiting global warming.
Current policies project a “catastrophic” warming of 3.1°C by the end of the centuryaccording to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Even with all the mitigation promises, global temperatures would increase by 2.6°C at best.
