On July 22, 2024, the Earth reached its hottest day in at least 84 years, with an average global temperature of 17.15°C. This was hotter than the day before, which had a record of 17.09°C.
For the past year, every month has been the hottest on record, and July 22 was the warmest day since at least 1940. Scientists from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) say that global temperatures are now at their highest in about 125,000 years, largely because of climate change from burning fossil fuels and deforestation.
The previous daily temperature record was 16.8°C, set in August 2016. Since July 3, 2023, there have been 57 days that have surpassed this record.
Experts predict that temperatures will continue to rise, leading to new records. The head of UN climate negotiations, Christiana Figueres, stressed the urgent need for countries to switch to renewable energy and reduce fossil fuels to avoid more severe warming.
2023 and 2024 have seen the highest daily temperatures ever recorded, with the warmest years being from 2015 to 2024. Current high temperatures are partly due to unusual warmth in Antarctica, which affects global temperatures.
The possibility of 2024 being the hottest year on record depends on factors like the El Niño/La Niña weather patterns. Currently, there is a high chance that 2024 will break the annual heat record, and it's very likely that it will have a global average temperature more than 1.5°C above the average from 1850-1900.
The Paris Agreement aims to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels to prevent severe climate impacts. The Earth has already warmed by about 1.2°C, which is causing more extreme weather events like droughts, wildfires, and floods.
