World Meteorological Organization annual climate report

2024 Virtually Certain to Be Hottest Year, Exceeding 1.5°C Limit, Says EU Climate Service

Nov 7, 2024, 06:17 AM

2024 is virtually certain to become the hottest year on record, with global average temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Carlo Buontempo, director at C3S, stated that this year will eclipse 2023 as the world's warmest since records began. This surpasses the critical threshold set in the 2015 Paris Agreement and underscores the urgency of climate action as the world approaches the UN climate talks at COP29. Scientists emphasize that only an unlikely event, such as a massive asteroid strike or volcanic eruption, could prevent 2024 from reaching this record temperature.