2024 is "almost certain" to be the hottest year on record and the first in which the Earth's average temperature will be 1,5°C warmer than pre-industrial levels, according to data of the European Copernicus service published after the second warmest October on record.
"After 10 months of 2024 it is now almost certain that 2024 will be the hottest year on record and the first (with temperature) to be 1,5°C above pre-industrial levels," with based on Copernicus ERA5 data, commented Samantha Burgess Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). It is even "probable" that global warming will exceed 1,55° Celsius during 2024.
"This is a new stage in global temperature records and should be a wake-up call to raise our ambitions at the next climate change conference, COP29," Burgess said.
This COP, which begins on November 11 in Baku, Azerbaijan, will be dedicated to finding ways to finance developing countries in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.
According to Copernicus, October 2024 was the warmest on record globally since October 2023, with the average temperature reaching 15,25 °C. This is an increase of 1,65° Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era (1850-1900).
It is also the 15th consecutive month in a 16-month period in which the average temperature was 1,5°C higher than in pre-industrial times.
This symbolic number corresponds to the most ambitious limit set by the global community in Paris in 2015, aiming to hold global warming below 2°C and continue efforts to limit it to 1,5°C.
But according to the latest UN calculations, the world is by no means on track to reach this limit.
With current policies, global warming is expected to reach a "catastrophic" level of 3,1°C during this century, as estimated by the UN Environment Program (UNEP). And even if all pledges to adopt better policies are taken into account, the average global temperature is expected to rise by 2,6°C.
Source: protothema.gr
