This year won’t just be the hottest on record—it could be the first to surpass the 1.5-degree-Celsius threshold laid out in the Paris climate accord
It is “virtually certain” that 2024 will be the first year to be more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than in the preindustrial era, before heat-trapping fossil fuels began accumulating in the atmosphere, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) announced today.
These dubious distinctions mean 2024 will surpass the remarkable record annual temperatures set just last year, one of the clearest markers of the unfolding planetary climate catastrophe. “This marks a new milestone in global temperature records and should serve as a catalyst to raise ambition for the upcoming Climate Change Conference, COP29,” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, said in a news release.On supporting science journalism
If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing.
