2024: The Hottest Year on Record Looms Amid COP29 Climate Talks

2024 is projected to become the hottest year on record, breaking previous temperature milestones. As the COP29 climate summit approaches, global leaders face renewed pressure to address climate change by curbing CO2 emissions and preventing the world from surpassing a 1.5C temperature increase over pre-industrial levels.

The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has declared that 2024 is virtually certain to surpass 2023 as the warmest year on record. This announcement precedes the U.N. COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, where countries are expected to discuss significant funding to combat climate change challenges, despite a dampener from Donald Trump's recent victory in the U.S. presidential election.

C3S Director Carlo Buontempo attributes this alarming temperature increase to climate change. He noted that global temperatures from January to October indicate 2024 will likely earn the title of hottest year unless a drastic temperature drop occurs before year-end. Buontempo emphasized, "The climate is warming, globally and persistently."

Climate experts, including Sonia Seneviratne from ETH Zurich, urge governments to expedite measures against CO2 emissions, as current efforts fail to align with the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming. While the world hasn't yet breached the 1.5C threshold established in the agreement, experts predict this target may be exceeded around 2030 due to the slow pace of climate action. Rising temperatures exacerbate catastrophic weather events, many of which played out across the globe in October.

(With inputs from agencies.)