2024 set to break record as hottest year on record, EU scientists warn

With temperatures high through October, experts say only a significant drop could change 2024's outcome

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The world is on course to experience its hottest year in recorded history, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which reported on Thursday that 2024 is "virtually certain" to break previous records set in 2023.

With global temperatures from January to October already high, experts suggest that only an unprecedented drop in temperatures over the rest of the year could alter the outcome.

This milestone comes as the U.N. COP29 climate summit approaches in Azerbaijan, where countries will aim to increase funding for climate mitigation efforts.

The recent U.S. election of Donald Trump has, however, raised concerns about the potential impact on the talks.

C3S Director Carlo Buontempo linked the record heat to climate change, stating, "The climate is warming in all continents and ocean basins, driving these records."

The data also indicate that 2024 will be the first year where the planet’s temperature rises over 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels (1850-1900), a threshold previously set as a crucial limit in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Sonia Seneviratne, a climate scientist at ETH Zurich, said governments need to implement stronger actions to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. She warned, "The limits set in the Paris Agreement are starting to crumble, reflecting the slow pace of global action."

Extreme weather has already escalated globally. Catastrophic flash floods in Spain, wildfires in Peru, and Hurricane Milton in the U.S. have all been exacerbated by human-induced climate change. C3S noted that these severe weather events underscore the urgent need for governments to accelerate climate action before warming intensifies further.