This year is “virtually certain” to be the warmest year on record, as the world continues its unprecedented temperature streak, the European Union's climate change monitoring service has said. Last month was the second-hottest October on record after October 2023, with an average surface air temperature for the month of 15.25°C, 0.80°C above the 1991-2020 average.
The figure also represented the 15th month in a 16-month period for which the global-average surface air temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The average temperature for the rest of the year would have to drop to almost zero if 2024 was not to become the warmest year on record. It is highly likely that the annual temperature for 2024 will be more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level.
"After 10 months of 2024 it is now virtually certain that 2024 will be the warmest year on record and the first year of more than 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels, according to the ERA5 data set,” said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). “This marks a new milestone in global temperature records and should serve as a catalyst to raise ambition for the upcoming Climate Change Conference, Cop29."
Under the Paris Agreement, countries committed to keeping global temperatures below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with a limit of 1.5°C the aim. Scientists have warned that exceeding 1.5°C could cause severe climate effects, with every fraction of a degree being critical.
European temperatures were above average over almost all of the continent. Other countries where it was hotter than average included Canada, the central and western United States, northern Tibet, Japan and Australia. They were “most notably below average” over central Greenland and Iceland, according to the EU’s climate change agency.
The average sea surface temperature in some areas was also higher than normal, but below average in the equatorial eastern and central Pacific, indicating a move towards La Niña conditions. Arctic sea ice was the fourth-lowest on record, at 19 per cent below average, while Antarctic sea ice extent was the second-lowest for the month, at 8 per cent below average.
The month also saw above-average rainfall across the Iberian Peninsula, France, northern Italy, Norway, northern Sweden, and east of the Black Sea. Torrential rains led to severe flash flooding in the region of Valencia, Spain, with more than 200 deaths.
Wetter-than-average conditions were also seen in southern and eastern China, Taiwan, Florida, parts of Western Australia, and the southernmost parts of Brazil. But in some areas rainfall was below average, including across most of eastern Europe, western Russia, Greece, and western Turkey.
A recent study found that climate change is posing record threats to human health, including a rise in sand and dust storms and changing rain patterns that put more people at risk of deadly mosquito-borne diseases like dengue. Every country now faces threats to health and survival due to global warming, according to an annual stocktake study in The Lancet, which found 10 of 15 indicators monitoring health hazards have now reached record levels.
More on Quran memorisation:
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More on animal trafficking
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Results
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix - 3:45:47
2. David Dekker (NED) Jumbo-Visma - same time
3. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
4. Emils Liepins (LAT) Trek-Segafredo
5. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLO UAE Team Emirates
7. Anthony Roux (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
8. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:00:03
9. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep
10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck-QuickStep
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
More coverage from the Future Forum
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on animal trafficking
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
More on animal trafficking
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20EA%20Vancouver%2C%20EA%20Romania%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20EA%20Sports%3Cbr%3EConsoles%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The years Ramadan fell in May
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
