According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), 2024 is now “virtually certain” to surpass 2023 as the hottest year on record. The data was released just ahead of next week’s COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, where global leaders are set to discuss climate funding and action. However, Donald Trump’s recent U.S. election victory has cast doubt over the summit’s anticipated progress.
The C3S report shows that from January to October, global temperatures reached unprecedented highs, making 2024 the hottest year on record unless temperatures drop dramatically through December. “The fundamental cause of this year’s record heat is climate change,” said C3S Director Carlo Buontempo, emphasizing that every continent and ocean basin is experiencing warming trends.
This year also marks a major milestone, as 2024 is projected to be the first year in which the planet’s average temperature surpasses 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900) due to sustained fossil fuel emissions. Climate scientist Sonia Seneviratne from ETH Zurich urged world leaders to accelerate action at COP29, warning, “The limits set by the Paris Agreement are crumbling due to the too-slow pace of global climate action.”
As outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, nearly every country agreed to keep global warming below 1.5°C to prevent catastrophic climate effects. However, C3S now expects this threshold could be breached by around 2030. “It’s basically around the corner now,” Buontempo added.
The impact of rising temperatures has already fueled extreme weather globally. October saw flash floods kill hundreds in Spain, devastating wildfires ravage Peru, and catastrophic flooding in Bangladesh that destroyed over a million tons of rice, impacting global food prices. Hurricane Milton in the U.S. was also intensified by climate change.
With data from C3S and records dating back to 1940 (cross-checked with earlier data to 1850), scientists continue to stress the urgent need for coordinated global action. As COP29 approaches, hopes remain that nations will commit to the large-scale funding and policy shifts needed to address these unprecedented climate challenges.
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