Climate crisis deepens with 2024 ‘certain’ to be hottest year on record
GuardianDec 07, 2024
Report: 2024 Set to Break Global Temperature Records, Exceeding +1.5°C
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Above: A firefighting helicopter drops water in an effort to extinguish a wildfire in Sofiana village in Greece on Oct. 1, 2024. Image copyright: ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
The Copernicus Climate Change Service has reported that 2024 will surpass 2023 as the warmest year on record, with average global temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time.
Global temperatures between January and November 2024 reached record levels, marking 16 consecutive months of record-breaking heat since June 2023.
Extreme weather events in 2024 included severe droughts in Italy and South America, devastating floods in Nepal, Sudan, and Europe, and deadly heatwaves in Mexico, Mali, and Saudi Arabia that killed thousands.
The Spin
Narrative A
The current temperature rise represents a critical warning signal requiring immediate action, as the world remains drastically off-track from meeting Paris Agreement goals. Current climate policies could potentially lead to catastrophic warming of over 3°C, making ambitious emission reductions more urgent than ever.
Narrative B
A single year above 1.5°C does not necessarily indicate a breach of the Paris Agreement, as the threshold should be measured over decades, and natural phenomena like El Niño contribute to temperature variations, suggesting the need for longer-term analysis before drawing definitive conclusions.
