Climate Crisis on Repeat
2024 will be hottest year on record
I sometimes wonder if it makes sense to keep noting, almost every month, that we've experienced the hottest—or the second hottest—month on record. Are we shocked anymore, or has this become our new normal?
In any case, here we are. According to the Copernicus ERA5 dataset, globally November 2024 was the second-warmest November on record (after November 2023) and the 16th month in a 17-month period for which the global-average surface air temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Surpassing the 1.5°C threshold is a major milestone, as it’s the limit set by the Paris Agreement to avoid severe climate impacts. However, the fact that we’re surpassing it more often suggests 1.5°C is becoming the new normal, with a 2°C rise looking more likely.
The global average temperature anomaly for January–November 2024 is 0.14°C higher than the same period in 2023, which currently holds the record as the warmest year.
With just one month of the year left it’s almost certain that 2024 will be warmer than 2023, and thus the warmest year on record.
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