The year 2024 was the warmest on record globally since records began in 1850 and the first during which the average global temperature exceeded 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level, the threshold beyond which climate change will make human life more difficult, European Union’s Earth Observation Programme Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has said, citing all the internationally produced global temperature datasets.
Human-induced climate change remained the primary driver of extreme air and sea surface temperatures. Other factors such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) also contributed to the unusual temperatures during the year. ENSO is a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
In a statement, C3S said organisations monitoring global climate such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the UK Met Office, Berkeley Earth, and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) made a concerted effort to coordinate the release of their data highlighting the exceptional conditions.
C3S director Carlo Buontempo said all of the internationally produced global temperature datasets show that 2024 was the hottest year since records began in 1850. “Humanity is in charge of its destiny but how we respond to the climate challenge should be based on evidence.” Buontempo underlined swift and decisive action can still alter the trajectory of future climate.
ECMWF strategic lead (climate) Samantha Burgess said each year in the last decade was one of the 10 warmest on record. “We are now teetering on the edge of passing the 1.5ºC level defined in the Paris Agreement and the average of the last two years is already above this level.”
Burgess said high global temperatures and record global atmospheric water vapour levels in 2024 meant unprecedented heatwaves and heavy rainfall events, causing misery for millions of people.
ERA5 dataset said the global average temperature of 15.10°C was 0.72°C above the 1991-2020 average, and 0.12°C above 2023, the previous warmest year on record. This is equivalent to 1.60°C above an estimate of the 1850-1900 temperature designated as the pre-industrial level.
At 17.16°C, a new record high for daily global average temperature was reached on July 22, 2024. Last year was the warmest year for all continental regions except Antarctica and Australasia as well as for sizeable parts of the ocean particularly the North Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Western Pacific Ocean.
The ERA5 said the water vapour in the atmosphere reached a record value in 2024 at about 5% above the 1991–2020 average. It was over 1% higher than in 2016 and 2023, the years with the previous highest and second-highest values.
Extreme temperatures and high humidity contributed to increased levels of heat stress. Much of the Northern Hemisphere experienced more days than average with at least strong heat stress during 2024. Some areas saw more days than average with extreme heat stress.
The area of the globe affected by at least strong heat stress in 2024 reached a new record annual maximum. On 10 July, around 44% of the globe was affected by strong to extreme heat stress. This was 5% more of the globe compared to the average annual maximum.
The atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane continued to increase and reached record annual levels in 2024—at 422 parts per million (ppm) and 1897 parts per billion (ppb). Carbon dioxide concentrations in 2024 were 2.9 ppm higher than in 2023. Methane concentrations were 3 ppb higher.
The year 2024 was also the hottest year for India since 1901. Extreme heat killed scores of people in northwest and east India. Flooding during monsoon, landslides, and record bleaching of corals in Lakshadweep’s reefs were also reported.
Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer at Imperial College London’s Centre for Environmental Policy, said the climate is heating to levels the world has spent years trying to avoid. Otto added countries are still burning huge amounts of oil, gas, and coal. “A year of extreme weather showed just how dangerous life is at 1.5°C. The Valencia floods, US hurricanes, Philippines typhoons, and Amazon drought were just four disasters last year that were worsened by climate change. There are many, many more.”
Otto said the world does not need to come up with a magical solution to stop things from getting worse in 2025. “We know exactly what we need to do to transition away from fossil fuels, halt deforestation, and make societies more resilient to the changes in the climate we see so clearly in this [C3S] report.”