The global average temperature rose to 15.10°C — 1.60°C above pre-industrial levels, making it the first calendar year to breach the 1.5°C threshold defined in the Paris Agreement.
The year 2024 has officially claimed the title of the warmest year on record, surpassing 2023 and setting a troubling benchmark for global climate change. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the global average temperature rose to 15.10°C — 1.60°C above pre-industrial levels, making it the first calendar year to breach the 1.5°C threshold defined in the Paris Agreement.
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“This milestone underscores the urgency for action. Humanity holds the key to shaping its future, and our response to the climate crisis must be swift and evidence-based,” said Carlo Buontempo, Director of C3S.
Record-Breaking Heat and Its Global Reach
July 22, 2024, became the hottest day ever recorded, with temperatures soaring to 17.16°C. Globally, 44% of the population experienced “strong” to “extreme heat stress,” a 5% increase over previous averages.
All continents, with the exception of Antarctica and Australasia, experienced unprecedented heat. Europe faced its warmest year on record, with average temperatures of 10.67°C — 1.47°C above the 1991-2020 baseline. Meanwhile, Arctic temperatures reached 1.34°C above the average, marking the fourth-highest reading in the region’s history.
Oceans, too, bore the brunt of rising temperatures. The annual average sea surface temperature across extra-polar oceans reached a record 20.87°C, 0.51°C higher than the 1991-2020 average.
Every year in the past decade ranks among the 10 hottest years since records began in 1850. In 2024, 11 out of 12 months saw global temperatures exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The World Meteorological Organization had already predicted that 2024 was on track to break records, but the scale of warming exceeded expectations.
This record-breaking heat has not been confined to land and oceans. The total atmospheric water vapor, a key driver of extreme weather, reached a historic high, standing 5% above the 1991-2020 average.
Greenhouse Gases at All-Time Highs
Carbon dioxide and methane levels reached unprecedented concentrations in 2024, with CO₂ hitting 422 parts per million (ppm) and methane reaching 1,897 parts per billion (ppb). These represent increases of 2.9 ppm and 3 ppb compared to the previous year. These surges in greenhouse gases have amplified heatwaves, rainfall, and other extreme weather events worldwide.
Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at ECMWF, highlighted the implications: “We are teetering on the edge of permanently surpassing the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement. The consequences, seen in record rainfall and heatwaves in 2024, have brought untold misery to millions.”
The evidence of a warming planet continues to mount, underscoring the critical need for urgent climate action. From rising seas to intensified storms, the costs of inaction are evident. The year 2024 serves as a stark reminder that global efforts to mitigate climate change must be accelerated.
“We are at a crossroads,” Buontempo concluded. “Swift and decisive action can still alter the trajectory of our future climate.”
As the impacts of climate change intensify, the path forward requires collective commitment to reduce emissions, transition to renewable energy, and build resilience against a warming planet.
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