2024 'virtually certain' to be hottest year ever - report
· RTE.ieThis year is "virtually certain" to be the hottest in recorded history with warming above 1.5C, EU climate monitor Copernicus has said, days before nations are due to gather for crunch UN climate talks.
The European agency said the world was passing a "new milestone" of temperature records that should serve to accelerate action to cut planet-heating emissions at the UN negotiations in Azerbaijan next week.
Last month, marked by deadly flooding in Spain and Hurricane Milton in the United States, was the second hottest October on record, with average global temperatures second only to the same period in 2023.
Copernicus said 2024 would likely be more than 1.55C above the 1850-1900 average, the period before the industrial-scale burning of fossil fuels.
"It is now virtually certain that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first year of more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels," said Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Deputy Director Samantha Burgess.
"This marks a new milestone in global temperature records and should serve as a catalyst to raise ambition for the upcoming Climate Change Conference, COP29."
Under the Paris Climate Agreement, countries committed to action to limit temperature rises to "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to keep them to 1.5C, beyond which the most devastating impacts of storms, floods, droughts, heatwaves, nature loss and rising seas are expected.
The data also shows that October 2024 was the second-warmest month globally, second only to October 2023, and was 1.65C above pre-industrial levels.
It was the 15th month in a 16-month period that the global average air temperature was more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
The figures, which are based on computer-generated analyses and the "ERA5" dataset, which uses billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world, come as countries prepare to meet for the latest round of UN climate talks, COP29, in Azerbaijan.
As COP29 begins next week, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is due to publish an overarching analysis of global temperatures in 2024, drawing on a series of datasets including the ERA5 data.
Responding to the figures, Mike Childs, head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth, said: "Our ailing planet is sending us every signal that it is in crisis - the latest being the deadly floods in Spain which have claimed the lives of so many and wreaked colossal damage.
"The time for dither and delay is long gone. We need global leaders to smash the emergency glass now and do everything in their power to prevent further harm.
"As well as accelerating a fair transition to green, low carbon economies, that means putting the measures in place that will protect people, properties and infrastructure from current and future impacts of climate change."
Mr Childs also called for the UK to bring in stronger plans for the delivering on its nature and climate targets, and a "credible strategy" to prepare for extreme weather, as well as supporting countries on the frontline of the climate crisis".