The EU climate watchdog confirmed Friday that 2024 was the warmest year globally since records began in 1850, underscoring the intensifying impacts of climate change and the urgent need for decisive global action.
According to the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the year shattered multiple climate records, driven largely by human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and amplified by a strong El Nino event.
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C3S reported that the global average temperature for 2024 reached 15.1 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record set in 2023 by 0.12 degrees Celsius and exceeding pre-industrial levels by 1.6 degrees Celsius. For the first time, global temperatures crossed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold – a key marker in the Paris Agreement aimed at limiting global warming.
Throughout 2024, 11 out of 12 months recorded average temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. On July 22, the global average temperature peaked at 17.16 degrees Celsius.
Sea surface temperatures also hit record highs, with extra-polar ocean water averaging 20.87 degrees Celsius, while atmospheric water vapor increased by about 5 percent over the 1991-2020 average.
The melting of sea ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic added to the alarming trends, with Antarctic sea ice extent remaining near record lows for much of the year, and Arctic sea ice levels significantly reduced, particularly after July.
Friederike Otto, senior lecturer at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, said: “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 described 2024 as “deadly heat,” warning of a “climate breakdown” in real-time and urging immediate action to dramatically reduce emissions and support the transition to renewable energy.
The extreme temperatures in 2024 fueled widespread heatwaves, wildfires, and floods, particularly in Southern Europe.
Countries like Italy, France, and Spain endured prolonged heatwaves, while Greece battled nearly 9,500 wildfires. These extreme conditions significantly strained public health systems and prompted large-scale evacuations.
Flooding in Spain and Germany caused extensive economic damage and displaced thousands, while severe drought emptied one of Bosnia’s largest lakes, Lake Jablanicko in December.
According to the World Weather Attribution’s (WWA’s) annual report, the record global temperatures of 2024 directly intensified rainfall events, with 15 out of 16 floods studied linked to climate change.
The WWA report revealed that climate-related disasters in 2024 claimed at least 3,700 lives, displaced millions, and caused catastrophic damage to ecosystems. Coral reefs experienced unprecedented bleaching, threatening 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 ahead, climate experts warn that the extreme weather patterns witnessed in 2024 are likely to persist. Julien Nicolas, climate scientist at C3S, explained that while global temperatures may slightly decline in 2025 due to a transition from El Nino to La Nina conditions, the long-term warming trend remains intact.
“There are ups and downs 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 small dip doesn’t change the clear upward trajectory we’re on.”
Recognising the urgency, Carlo Buontempo, C3S director at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, stressed the importance of taking action now: “The future is in our hands — swift and decisive action can still alter the trajectory 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 next three months.
“We are loading the dice … toward these extreme climate events,” Nicolas said, warning that heat waves and extreme rainfall events are likely to hit almost all continental regions.
