2024 is on track to become the hottest year ever recorded, surpassing the previous record set just last year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
While full-year data is still pending, NOAA stated that there is a greater than 99% likelihood that 2024 will break last year’s record, which was the highest since global temperature records began in 1850.
From January to November, global temperatures were 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.28 degrees Celsius) above the 20th-century average. Every continent experienced its warmest year on record, except Asia, which had its second-warmest year.
This alarming trend highlights the growing challenges in meeting the climate targets outlined in the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The data also follows predictions from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which indicated that the world surpassed this 1.5°C threshold earlier in the year. However, exceeding this limit for one year is less concerning than a sustained rise over several decades, which could have more severe long-term impacts.
The findings come at a time when President-elect Donald Trump, set to return to the White House next month, has promised to reverse climate policies implemented by the Biden administration. Trump has also vowed to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Agreement, a key international framework for addressing rising global temperatures.
