Copernicus Observatory: November 2024 to be second warmest November on record

Arab Weather - In a new report issued by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), it was revealed that November 2024 was the second warmest November on record after November 2023.

Both are well above the historical average. November 2024 will be 0.73°C warmer than the global average for November between 1991 and 2020, and a staggering 1.62°C warmer than the pre-industrial average between 1850 and 1900.

2024 is on track to break the world temperature record

After 2023 was the hottest year on record, scientists expect 2024 to be even warmer. With just one month left in the year, 2024 is “virtually certain” to break the previous record and become the hottest year ever, the Copernicus Meteorological Service reports.

Possibility of exceeding the 1.5°C limit for the first time

One worrying aspect is that 2024 is on track to be the first year in history in which global temperature rise exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average. This is the threshold set by the Paris climate agreement to avoid catastrophic climate change. In 2023, the difference was just under the threshold, at just 0.02 degrees.

The impact of El Niño and La Niña phenomena

Natural climate phenomena such as El Niño have played a major role in the record high temperatures. El Niño, which occurs when warm waters gather in the tropical Pacific Ocean, has contributed to the global warming in 2023 and 2024.

Although El Niño ends in May 2024, La Niña, which tends to be cooling, has not had the expected effect. Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan, said heat stored in warm ocean waters may have prevented the usual cooling effect of La Niña.

Summer 2024: The hottest on record globally

According to C3S, the summer of 2024 was the hottest on record globally. In the United States, November 2024 was the sixth warmest summer month since records began. States including Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi set new temperature records.

The economic and environmental impact of rising temperatures

Rising temperatures have serious implications for the economy and the environment. Swiss Re has estimated the economic damage from climate change in 2024 at $320 billion, 25% higher than the annual average over the past decade.

Extreme climate events were prominent worldwide:

Hurricanes have been hitting coasts with unprecedented violence, prompting scientists to question whether a new "Category 6" rating should be added to them.

Wildfires have swept through areas like the northeastern United States, which rarely experience such fires.

Spain experienced devastating floods in October, killing 224 people and prompting the government to provide paid leave for those affected by the severe weather.

Climate scientists' statements about global warming

Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, called the new records “terrifying news for ecosystems and people.”

Even if there is a slight cooling from La Niña, temperatures “will not be safe or normal,” said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London.

She stressed that the world will continue to face dangerous heat waves, drought, forest fires, and tropical cyclones.

As 2024 approaches the year of breaking global temperature records, pressure is mounting for urgent action to tackle climate change. This worrying trend shows that ambitious climate action is more important than ever, said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S.

She added that these extreme weather phenomena are no longer the exception, but have become the rule, stressing that exceeding the 1.5°C threshold requires taking decisive steps to protect the planet and humanity.