Copernicus Climate Change Service, 10 January 2025
The EU’s Copernicus Programme has confirmed 2024 as the warmest year on record globally, and the first calendar year exceeding 1.5°C, at 1.60°C above pre-industrial levels. Human-induced climate change remained the primary driver of extreme air and sea surface temperatures; while other factors, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), also contributed. One key point: even though 2024 exceeded 1.5°C, scientists emphasize that the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C remains attainable because that refers to a 20-year average. Even today’s temperatures however have proven hazardous, as tragically seen by the ongoing California wildfires, which have affected many cryosphere colleagues and researchers at JPL in Pasadena. Some degree of long-term cryosphere degradation is also inevitable, with global sea-level rise and water resource impacts for centuries to come, but these can be greatly diminished by urgent emissions reductions consistent with the long-term 1.5°C Paris limit.
Full Copernicus report with helpful figures: https://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-2024-first-year-exceed-15degc-above-pre-industrial-level
By Science Writing Intern Haily Landrigan, Global Outreach Director Amy Imdieke, and ICCI Director Pam Pearson.
Published Jan. 14, 2025 Updated Jan. 14, 2025 10:31 pm
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