It is 'virtually certain' 2024 will be hottest year on record as global temperatures reach further highs

After 10 months of 2024, 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, marking a new milestone in global temperature records.

The average temperature anomaly for the rest of 2024 would have to drop to almost zero for 2024 to not be the warmest year. The 1.5C threshold is considered the relatively safe level of global average temperature rise, beyond which climate change will accelerate.

Periods of heatwave in recent years drove temporary breaches of 1.5C, but breaching it continuously for a full calendar year is a significant and worrying development.

Ice-sheet melt is also giving rise to concerns, with the Arctic ice sheets having 19% less ice than normal for this time of year.

Read at Irish Independent