Record hot 2024 was first year to break 1.5C warming threshold, scientists say
The IndependentSign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed previous projections that 2024 was the warmest on record globally and the first calendar year that the average temperature exceeded 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The scientists said human-caused climate change was the primary driver for record temperatures, while other factors such as the Pacific Ocean’s “El Nino” weather phenomenon, which raises global temperatures also had an effect. Analysis from the Met Office, University of East Anglia and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science also found 2024 was the hottest on record, and “likely” the first year exceeding 1.5C. “These high global temperatures, coupled with record global atmospheric water vapour levels in 2024, meant unprecedented heatwaves and heavy rainfall events, causing misery for millions of people.” Professor Rowan Sutton, director of the Met Office Hadley Centre, said: “By itself, 1.5C does not represent a cliff edge in terms of climate impacts.