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NASA has confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with Earth's average surface temperature reaching unprecedented levels. According to a NASA analysis, global temperatures were 2.30 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century baseline, surpassing the previous record set in 2023. This marks a significant milestone, as temperatures were more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels for much of the year.
The warming trend is largely attributed to heat-trapping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen from approximately 278 parts per million in the 18th century to about 420 parts per million today. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service also confirmed 2024 as the hottest year, with slight variations in their temperature estimates.
The record heat is partly due to a strong El Niño event that began in late 2023, which contributed to the temperature surge. However, scientists are still investigating other factors that may have amplified the warming, including potential climate impacts from the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption.
The extreme temperatures in 2024 temporarily pushed Earth past the 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit threshold set by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
