Bonn, Jan 10 (NationPress) The EU climate authority revealed on Friday that 2024 marked the hottest year on record since 1850, highlighting the escalating effects of climate change and the pressing need for immediate global measures.
As reported by the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), this year has broken numerous climate records, primarily due to human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbated by a significant El Nino event.
C3S indicated that the global average temperature for 2024 reached 15.1 degrees Celsius, exceeding the previous record set in 2023 by 0.12 degrees Celsius and rising 1.6 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This year, for the first time, global temperatures crossed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold—a crucial benchmark outlined in the Paris Agreement aimed at limiting global warming.
Throughout 2024, 11 out of 12 months experienced average temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. On July 22, the global average temperature peaked at 17.16 degrees Celsius.
The surface temperatures of the oceans also reached historic highs, with extra-polar ocean water averaging 20.87 degrees Celsius, while atmospheric water vapor increased by approximately 5 percent over the 1991-2020 average.
The alarming trends continued with the melting of sea ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions, as Antarctic sea ice extent remained near record lows throughout much of the year, and Arctic sea ice levels were significantly diminished, particularly after July.
Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, stated: "The climate is heating to levels we've spent years trying to avoid because countries are still burning huge amounts of oil, gas and coal."
In his New Year’s address, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres characterized 2024 as "deadly heat, " warning of a "climate breakdown" occurring in real-time and urging for immediate measures to drastically reduce emissions while promoting the shift to renewable energy.
The extreme temperatures of 2024 triggered widespread heatwaves, wildfires, and floods, especially in Southern Europe.
Countries such as Italy, France, and Spain faced prolonged heatwaves, while Greece dealt with nearly 9,500 wildfires. These extreme conditions placed immense pressure on public health systems and led to large-scale evacuations.
Severe flooding in Spain and Germany resulted in significant economic damage and displaced thousands, while a devastating drought drained one of Bosnia's largest lakes, Lake Jablanicko, in December.
According to the World Weather Attribution's (WWA) annual report, the record-high global temperatures of 2024 directly exacerbated rainfall events, with 15 out of 16 floods investigated linked to climate change.
The WWA report highlighted that climate-related disasters in 2024 resulted in at least 3,700 fatalities, displaced millions, and caused catastrophic harm to ecosystems. Coral reefs faced unprecedented bleaching, endangering marine biodiversity and the industries reliant on these ecosystems.
"The Valencia floods, U.S. hurricanes, Philippines typhoons, and Amazon drought are just four disasters last year that were worsened by climate change. There are many, many more," Otto told Xinhua news agency.
Looking into the future, climate experts caution that the extreme weather patterns observed in 2024 are likely to continue. Julien Nicolas, a climate scientist at C3S, explained that while global temperatures may slightly decrease in 2025 due to a shift from El Nino to La Nina conditions, the long-term warming trend will persist.
"There are fluctuations in global temperatures due to natural processes, like El Nino," said Joeri Rogelj, research director at the Grantham Institute of Imperial College London. "But a minor dip doesn’t alter the clear upward trajectory we’re on."
Recognizing the urgency, Carlo Buontempo, C3S director at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, emphasized the necessity of taking action now: "The future is in our hands—swift and decisive action can still change the path of our future climate."
The World Meteorological Organization's forecast in December 2024 indicated a greater than 50 percent chance of La Nina conditions developing in the following three months.
"We are loading the dice... toward these extreme climate events," Nicolas warned, asserting that heatwaves and extreme rainfall events are likely to impact nearly all continental regions.
