2024 Set to Shatter Temperature Records: A Catalyst for Climate Action

With 2024 on track to become the warmest year on record, Copernicus reports a significant rise in global temperatures, surpassing the 1.5-degree Celsius mark above pre-industrial levels. This development ahead of the UN climate conference underscores the urgency for enhanced climate action and new financial commitments.

Copernicus, Europe's climate change monitoring body, on Thursday forecasted 2024 as the hottest year on record, expecting global temperatures to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. This declaration follows the second-warmest October ever recorded, highlighting the urgency of the forthcoming UN climate conference in Baku.

The conference, set to commence on November 11, will focus on securing new climate finance commitments from developed countries to aid developing nations in their climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus Climate Change Service, emphasized that this new temperature milestone should propel greater ambition at COP29.

The persistent warming trend, primarily driven by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, has resulted in severe weather phenomena across the globe. The significance of surpassing the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold was outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, aiming to avert catastrophic climate impacts. Experts now warn that immediate and robust climate actions are imperative.

(With inputs from agencies.)