EU climate monitor confirms 2024 is set to be hottest year on record

The European Union's climate monitor has declared that 2024 is "effectively certain" to be the hottest year on record, surpassing a critical temperature threshold. This follows data confirming that average global temperatures have exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Extreme weather events have occurred worldwide in 2024, including severe droughts, fatal floods, and deadly heatwaves. The previous record for the hottest year was set in 2023. November 2024 was the second-warmest November recorded. Scientists expect high temperatures to continue into early 2025. Despite global pledges to reduce carbon emissions, CO2 levels are projected to reach a record high this year.