Global warming exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius for the first time in 2024

Last year was the first year in human history in which global temperatures were more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This was determined by the climate change service of the European earth observation program Copernicus. Man-made climate change was the main driver, but the El Niño climate phenomenon also played a role. Overall, the global average temperature was 1.6 degrees Celsius above the average temperature for the years 1850 to 1900. Each of the past 10 years is also one of the ten warmest years since records began.

Even if the temperature record is a one-off event, humanity is nevertheless on the verge of permanently exceeding the limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels defined in the Paris Climate Agreement, warns Samantha Burgess (Word document) from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The average of the past two years is already above this level. Together with a new record for the total amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, these have led to unprecedented heatwaves and heavy rainfall, "causing hardship for millions of people".

The research organization also determined that 22 July 2024 was the hottest day ever, with a global average temperature of 17.16 degrees Celsius above average. Overall, the rise in temperature last year was particularly high in Europe, where it was already 1.47 degrees Celsius warmer than in the years 1991 to 2020. The data also shows that the rate of increase of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was even higher in 2024. The only small ray of hope is methane, whose rate of increase in 2024 was significantly lower than in the previous three years.

(mho)