2024 = officially the hottest year on record

2024 featured the highest average global temperatures on record for a second consecutive year, and was the first year to meet or exceed the 1.5°C (2.7°F) threshold set by the Paris Agreement, per new reports from five international climate organizations.

The average global temperature last year was between 1.46°C–1.62°C warmer than pre-industrial levels (1850-1900), according to estimates from the NOAA, NASA, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the World Meteorological Organization, and California-based Berkeley Earth. As the great philosopher Nelly put it: It’s getting hot in herre.

Why it’s a big deal: More than 190 countries signed the 2015 Paris Agreement aimed at staying below 1.5°C warming, as part of a global effort to limit the worst effects of climate change.

• Exceeding the 1.5°C warning threshold increases the risk of rising sea levels and loss of wildlife, along with intense heat waves, floods, and wildfires – like the ongoing California blazes, which a new Nature study partially attributes to human-caused global warming.

Important to note: The 1.5°C threshold laid out in the Paris Agreement refers to a long-term average over a decade or more, so the world hasn’t technically breached that target yet. But scientists widely expect the Earth to continue getting warmer in the years to come, as both the world’s biggest emitters and emerging countries continue burning fossil fuels.

👀 Looking ahead…2025 is currently projected to be the third hottest year on record, behind the previous two years, as the Pacific Ocean cools slightly from the ongoing La Niña global weather pattern (which is expected to last through April).