The European Union’s space programme has found it is “virtually certain” that 2024 will be the hottest year on record, marking a sobering milestone in the fight against climate change.
The report comes just days before the COP29 climate summit and follows the U.S. presidential election, where Donald Trump, a climate change sceptic, was chosen by voters to lead the country once again. Trump has previously called climate change a “hoax” and pledged to reverse policies aimed at reducing emissions.
According to the findings, 2024 is likely to be the first year global temperatures exceed 1.5°C (2.7°F) above pre-industrial levels—a critical threshold that has alarmed scientists worldwide. Global temperatures over the past 12 months were found to be 1.62°C above the 1850-1900 average, when industrial activity began releasing massive amounts of coal, oil, and gas emissions into the atmosphere.
“This marks a new milestone in global temperature records and should serve as a catalyst to raise ambition for the upcoming climate change conference,” said Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The findings underscore the urgent need for more decisive climate action as the world grapples with global warming’s intensifying impacts. Read More
News Credit: The Guardian
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