The European climate agency reports that January 2024 marked the warmest January on record globally, with the average temperature exceeding the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold. This trend has persisted since June of the previous year, indicating a continuous rise in global temperatures. While this milestone does not necessarily signify a permanent breach of the 1.5-degree Celsius limit outlined in the Paris agreement, it underscores the ongoing long-term warming trend due to both natural factors like El Niño and human-induced climate change.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) notes that January 2024 saw an average temperature of 1.66 degrees Celsius above the January average for the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900. This surpassed the previous record set in 2020 by 0.12 degrees Celsius. Moreover, the global mean temperature for the past 12 months, from February 2023 to January 2024, reached unprecedented levels, standing at 1.52 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
Despite international commitments to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, the world remains significantly off track. Reports suggest that urgent action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent by 2030 to mitigate the worsening impacts of climate change. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of C3S, emphasizes the critical importance of rapid reductions in emissions to curb further temperature increases and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
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