Copernicus C3S: ‘2024 was hottest year on record worldwide’

2024 was the hottest year on record, and this has now been officially confirmed. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) confirms that 2024 was the hottest year on record worldwide and the first calendar year in which the average global temperature exceeded pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5°C.

The hottest day on record was also registered in 2024. On July 22nd, the global temperature climbed to 17.16 degrees Celsius. The past ten years have been the ten warmest on record. The last time comparable temperatures were reached was 125,000 years ago.

Heat waves and rainfall

These high temperatures worldwide, combined with record levels of water vapor in the atmosphere in 2024, resulted in unprecedented heat waves and heavy rainfall, causing misery for millions of people. The ocean’s temperature also rose to unprecedented heights in 2024, with an average temperature of 20.87 degrees Celsius.

Human-induced climate change remains the leading cause of extreme air and sea surface temperatures. At the same time, other factors, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), have also contributed to the unusual temperatures observed this year.

Greenhouse gas emissions

The main cause of these record temperatures is greenhouse gas emissions. The atmospheric concentration also increased further in 2024, and for CO2, it increased even faster than in recent years.

There was also a record amount of water vapor in the atmosphere in 2024. This was 5 percent higher than the average for 1991-2020 and more than 1 percent higher than in 2016 and 2023, the year with the highest and second-highest values, respectively. More water vapor in the atmosphere increases the chance of extreme precipitation.

Heat stress

The exceptionally high temperatures and humidity caused higher levels of heat stress, and more days with strong heat stress were recorded worldwide. On July 10th, a record number of approximately 44 percent of the world’s population experienced at least this severe heat stress.

Copernicus predicts another warm year for 2025, although less warm than the past two years.