Global Temperature Increase Exceeds 1.5 Degrees Celsius in 2024

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the average global temperature from January to November 2024 increased by 1.5957 degrees Celsius (°C), or nearly 1.6 °C higher than the average temperature of the pre-industrial era (1850-1900).

"We can now confirm with near certainty that 2024 will be the warmest year on record, and the first calendar year with a temperature increase above 1.5 °C compared to the pre-industrial period," said Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of C3S, in a press release (December 9, 2024).

"This does not mean that the Paris Agreement has been violated, but it means that more ambitious climate action is needed than ever before," said Samantha.

Based on the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a global temperature increase of 1.5 °C could pose a drought threat to 951 million people.

The threat could potentially worsen if the temperature increase continues to rise. The IPCC estimates that if the temperature rises by 2 °C, drought disasters could affect 1.15 billion people, and 1.28 billion people if the increase reaches 3 °C.

Besides drought disasters, the IPCC assesses that a global temperature increase above 1.5 °C could trigger environmental degradation, reduce agricultural production, and create socio-economic problems.

"The combination of climate variability, anthropogenic climate change, and desertification will drive poverty, food insecurity, and increased disease," stated the IPCC in the *Special Report on Climate Change and Land* (2019).