2024 verified as the hottest year globally on record
The article discusses the confirmation that 2024 is set to be the warmest year recorded worldwide. It explores the implications of this temperature increase and examines the contributing factors to this significant climate milestone, providing insights into its potential effects on the environment and societies around the globe.
TroibNews 
The Copernicus Climate Change Service, funded by the EU, announced on Friday that 2024 has been confirmed as the warmest year globally since records began in 1850, highlighting the pressing need for urgent global action against climate change.
This year is also notable for being the first in which the average global temperature surpassed the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a limit established by the Paris Agreement, according to a press release from the European climate body.
In 2024, the global average temperature reached 15.1 degrees Celsius, exceeding the prior record set in 2023 by 0.12 degrees Celsius. This temperature is 1.6 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial estimates, as stated by Copernicus.
The organization further indicated that the combined average temperature for 2023 and 2024 also surpasses the 1.5 degrees Celsius mark relative to pre-industrial levels.
The Paris Agreement aims to restrict global warming to well below two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, with the goal of containing it to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the century's end.
"While this does not mean we have breached the limit set by the Paris Agreement – this refers to temperature anomalies averaged over at least 20 years – it underscores that global temperatures are rising beyond what modern humans have ever experienced," the statement noted.
Further data from the climate change service revealed that the total volume of water vapor in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2024, approximately 5 percent above the 1991-2020 average and significantly more than in 2023.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, commented, "These high global temperatures, coupled with record global atmospheric water vapor levels in 2024, led to unprecedented heatwaves and heavy rainfall events, causing misery for millions of people."
Acknowledging the critical nature of these developments, C3S Director Carlo Buontempo remarked, "The future is in our hands – swift and decisive action can still alter the trajectory of our future climate."
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
This year is also notable for being the first in which the average global temperature surpassed the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a limit established by the Paris Agreement, according to a press release from the European climate body.
In 2024, the global average temperature reached 15.1 degrees Celsius, exceeding the prior record set in 2023 by 0.12 degrees Celsius. This temperature is 1.6 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial estimates, as stated by Copernicus.
The organization further indicated that the combined average temperature for 2023 and 2024 also surpasses the 1.5 degrees Celsius mark relative to pre-industrial levels.
The Paris Agreement aims to restrict global warming to well below two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, with the goal of containing it to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the century's end.
"While this does not mean we have breached the limit set by the Paris Agreement – this refers to temperature anomalies averaged over at least 20 years – it underscores that global temperatures are rising beyond what modern humans have ever experienced," the statement noted.
Further data from the climate change service revealed that the total volume of water vapor in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2024, approximately 5 percent above the 1991-2020 average and significantly more than in 2023.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, commented, "These high global temperatures, coupled with record global atmospheric water vapor levels in 2024, led to unprecedented heatwaves and heavy rainfall events, causing misery for millions of people."
Acknowledging the critical nature of these developments, C3S Director Carlo Buontempo remarked, "The future is in our hands – swift and decisive action can still alter the trajectory of our future climate."
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
