Jakarta. Earth is set to experience its hottest year on record for the second consecutive year, according to the European climate agency Copernicus, which reported Thursday that global temperatures in 2024 have exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial averages for the first time.

"The relentless nature of the warming is concerning," said Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus. He said that the persistent rise in greenhouse gases is driving this sequence of record-breaking temperatures.

Other factors contributing to this year’s exceptional warmth include El Niño, which temporarily warms parts of the Pacific, volcanic activity adding water vapor to the atmosphere, and solar energy fluctuations. However, scientists say the overarching temperature rise beyond these natural variations is troubling. "A strong El Niño event gives a preview of the ‘new normal’ that we’ll see in about a decade," said Zeke Hausfather, a research scientist with Berkeley Earth.

The news of another record-breaking year follows Republican Donald Trump’s re-election, a politician known for dismissing climate change concerns and promising to expand oil drilling. The report also comes just days before COP29, the annual UN climate conference, begins in Azerbaijan, where talks will focus on generating funds for a global transition to clean energy.

Buontempo emphasized that surpassing the 1.5-degree threshold in a single year differs from the target set in the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global temperature rise at or below this level averaged over 20 to 30 years.

A UN report this year noted that global temperatures have already risen by 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit) since the mid-1800s, marking an increase from previous estimates. This is alarming, as current national commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions remain insufficient to meet the 1.5-degree target.

"The extreme weather events we’re seeing now are just the tip of the iceberg," said Natalie Mahowald, chair of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University. Surpassing this temperature threshold doesn’t signify a permanent increase, but “without decisive action, it soon will,” said University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann.

Stanford University’s Rob Jackson, who chairs the Global Carbon Project, expressed pessimism, stating, "I think we’ve missed the 1.5-degree window. There’s too much warming."

Beth Hall, Indiana’s state climatologist, said the Copernicus report aligns with expectations and stressed the importance of viewing climate as a global issue beyond localized weather changes. "Reports like this one encompass countless locations beyond our immediate surroundings," she said.

Buontempo highlighted the importance of global data, enabled by international cooperation, which supports the report’s findings. Copernicus bases its results on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations worldwide.

Crossing the 1.5-degree mark in 2024 is "psychologically significant" as nations prepare for the climate summit in Azerbaijan on Nov. 11-22, Buontempo said. “The decision lies with each of us and with our society and policymakers,” he added. “These decisions are best made when based on evidence and facts.”

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