The world is on track to experience its hottest year on record, with 2024 expected to breach the critical 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
European climate monitors have declared 2024 “effectively certain” to be the warmest year ever recorded, capping a period of unprecedented environmental challenges that have impacted countries across the globe.
The unprecedented spell of extraordinary heat between January and November has pushed global temperatures to new heights, eclipsing the previous record set in 2023.
Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, cautioned that while a single year above 1.5°C does not technically breach the Paris Climate Accord, it underscores the urgent need for ambitious climate action.
The global community remains far from meeting the critical 1.5°C target, with the United Nations projecting a potentially catastrophic 3.1°C of warming based on current climate action trajectories.
The year 2024 has been marked by devastating climate-related disasters worldwide. Deadly flooding ravaged Spain and Kenya, violent tropical storms battered the United States and the Philippines, while severe droughts and wildfires consumed large parts of South America. These events have come at a tremendous economic cost, with insurance giant Swiss Re estimating $310 billion in economic losses for the year.
Developing countries bear the brunt of these climate impacts, with projections suggesting they will need $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 to cope with climate change.
Despite commitments from wealthy nations to provide $300 billion annually by 2035, experts argue this falls woefully short of addressing the crisis.
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Scientists are grappling with the extraordinary heat patterns, noting that the current period is likely the warmest the Earth has experienced in 125,000 years. While the El Niño phenomenon has contributed to rising temperatures, researchers emphasize that cyclical variability alone cannot explain the record-breaking heat in both atmosphere and oceans.
Recent scientific studies have begun exploring potential additional factors, including a lack of low-lying clouds and changes in shipping fuel emissions that may be affecting global heat reflection. Copernicus climate scientist Julien Nicolas described recent years as “clearly exceptional,” highlighting the complexity of understanding these unprecedented climate patterns.
The implications are profound. Continued fossil fuel emissions continue to release greenhouse gases that disrupt climate patterns and the water cycle, creating a feedback loop of increasingly severe environmental challenges.
The world stands at a critical juncture, with the need for immediate and substantial climate action becoming increasingly urgent.
AFP
