“After 10 months of 2024 it is now virtually certain that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first year of more than 1.5ºC (degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels according to the ERA5 dataset. This marks a new milestone in global temperature records.”
This was the warning made by Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), in a report released by the agency on November 7.
To avoid reaching this mark, the planet’s average temperature would have to remain below zero until the end of the year, which is virtually impossible.
Why is this milestone important?
In 2015, most of the world’s nations signed the Paris Agreement, committing to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to prevent the world’s average temperature from rising above 1.5ºC compared to pre-industrial levels, which covers the period from 1850 to 1900, when fossil fuel exploration began by industrialized nations.
Above this level, the planet could face extreme weather events and irreversible damage to the environment, such as many floods, severe droughts and the total extinction of coral reefs.
How can this be avoided? According to scientists, it will only be possible to prevent this from happening if strong action is carried out by all countries to reduce GHG emissions.
“This data should serve as a catalyst to increase ambition for the next Climate Change Conference, COP 29,” Burgess added.
COP 29 begins on November 11 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Check out the TINO report on the event.
Source: Copernicus.
