The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has confirmed that 2024 became the first year to record a global temperature rise of more than 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial era. Human activity continues to be the determining factor that triggers this phenomenon.
The C3S annual report indicates that last year was the hottest ever certified, with the terrestrial thermal record standing at an average of 15.10°C. This represents an increase of 1.6°C compared to the average estimated between 1850 and 1900. Experts warn about the worrying rate at which the planet is warming. The global monthly average temperature exceeded pre-industrial levels by 1.5°C for 11 months in 2024. The anomalous warming affected almost all continental regions, except Antarctica and Australasia.
Samantha Burgess, Strategic Director of Climate at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, warns that “every year of the last decade has been among the ten warmest ever observed. The average of the last two years already exceeds the 1.5°C level established in the Paris Agreement. These high temperatures have caused heat waves and extreme precipitation, causing suffering for millions of people.”
The heat in the oceans also broke records in 2024. The C3S estimates that the annual average sea surface temperature reported a historical maximum of 20.87°C. Kevin Trenberth, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the United States, points out that the global mean surface temperature, the global sea surface temperature and the global ocean heat content (from the surface to 2000 meters deep) experienced an increase never before. before seen. These metrics are vital for assessing the well-being of ocean ecosystems. The coincidence of rising values is an extraordinary event that has not occurred since 2016.
Trenberth emphasizes that 2024 was a year of warnings. “Severe weather and extreme heat, driven by climate change, wreak havoc around the world. They generate serious impacts on ecosystems, animals and human communities,” he emphasizes. The expert explains that variations in the oceans favor the accumulation of greenhouse gases. For each additional degree of warming, water vapor in the atmosphere increases by approximately 7%, further amplifying the climate impact. This greenhouse gas reached unprecedented levels in 2024, exceeding the records of 2016 and 2023 by more than 1%, according to Copernicus. Consequently, 44% of the planet experienced conditions of intense or extreme thermal stress.
The report also highlights the increase in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane, which reached record levels of 422 parts per million and 1,897 parts per billion, respectively. “The increase in emissions shows that actions to stop global warming are not being effective,” accuses Trenberth.
The climate crisis cannot wait
The Copernicus team underlines the urgency of redoubling investments in climate change adaptation measures. According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme, the financial deficit in this area ranges between 194 billion and 366 billion dollars annually.
Joeri Rogelj, Director of Research at the Grantham Institute of Climate Change and Environment at Imperial College London, told the portal Science Media Center (SMC) Spain that “the need to act makes more sense than ever. “Governments can build healthy economies with stronger and more decisive measures to accelerate the clean energy transition.”
Ernesto Rodríguez Camino, senior meteorologist of the Spanish State, explains that the 1.6°C increase in global temperature in 2024 does not necessarily mean that the limit of the Paris Agreement has been violated. “What really matters is to prevent that figure from becoming a new norm in the long term,” he says in a statement taken up by SMC Spain.
For his part, Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, comments that the world still has time to reverse the situation. “Humanity is the master of its own destiny, but the way we respond to the climate challenge must be based on evidence. The future is in our hands: quick and decisive action can still alter the trajectory of our future climate,” he concludes.
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