It's official — 2024 was the hottest year on record and the first calendar year in which the Earth was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer tha

In 2024 global warming topped 1.5C. Have we failed the Paris Agreement?

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2025-01-14 16:30:03

It's official — 2024 was the hottest year on record and the first calendar year in which the Earth was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times.

That's a significant number, because it's the target that world leaders agreed to under the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015, to try to limit global warming.

But, while the hot year certainly isn't good news, this breach of 1.5C doesn't mean we've broken the Paris Agreement.

Let's break down why that is, what it means for our climate and weather, and where 1.5C marker came from in the first place.

It was the first time that almost all countries agreed to work together to limit global warming and adapt to climate change, with 196 parties signing on.

As a part of the agreement, countries agreed to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to keep the long-term global average surface temperature to "well below 2C" above pre-industrial levels.