World Faces First Year Above 1.5ºC Global Warming Milestone in 2024
As wildfires ravaged California, claiming lives and destroying thousands of structures, scientists confirmed a historic climate milestone: 2024 was the first year where global temperatures exceeded 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) announced that the planet’s average temperature in 2024 was 1.6ºC higher than during the 1850-1900 pre-industrial baseline. This significant rise underscores the accelerating pace of climate change, with every month in 2024 ranking as the warmest or second warmest on record for that month.
C3S director Carlo Buontempo called the trajectory “incredible,” highlighting the urgency of the climate crisis. Over the past decade, the Earth has experienced its ten warmest years in recorded history, with 2024 taking the lead as the hottest year yet.
Devastating Impacts of Climate Change
California’s wildfires, fueled by extreme weather conditions, claimed at least ten lives and destroyed nearly 10,000 structures. Meanwhile, other regions faced equally catastrophic events, including deadly heatwaves in Mexico and Saudi Arabia, floods in Nepal and Sudan, and fires in Bolivia and Venezuela.
Matthew Jones, a climate scientist at the University of East Anglia, warned that fire-prone weather and extreme conditions will only intensify without significant action to address the root causes of climate change, particularly carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels.
Political Challenges to Climate Action
Despite the mounting evidence and consequences of climate change, political will to tackle the crisis has weakened in some nations. US President-elect Donald Trump, who has dismissed climate change as a “hoax,” has sparked concerns about America’s future climate policies. Similarly, some European countries are prioritizing industrial competitiveness over climate goals, calling for weaker environmental regulations.
However, EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “We don’t have an alternative.” Climate experts like Professor Chukwumerije Okereke from the University of Bristol view the 1.5ºC milestone as a wake-up call for global leaders to take immediate and decisive action.
The Paris Agreement and Future Goals
Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, governments committed to keeping global warming below 1.5ºC to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. Although 2024’s breach does not violate this target—measured as a long-term average—it signals that the world is dangerously close to surpassing this limit.
Buontempo urged swift action, stating, “It’s not a done deal. We have the power to change the trajectory.” Scientists warn that without rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the world risks crossing even more perilous thresholds.
Rising Greenhouse Gas Concentrations
In 2024, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels reached a record high of 422 parts per million, while water vapor in the atmosphere also hit unprecedented levels, intensifying storms and torrential rainfall.
Zeke Hausfather, a researcher at Berkeley Earth, predicted 2025 would remain among the top three warmest years on record, although El Niño’s cooling counterpart, La Niña, might slightly temper temperature increases.
The world’s first year above 1.5ºC should serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need for collective action to mitigate climate change and protect the planet for future generations.
