SEATTLE — For the second year in a row, Earth is on track to set a new record for hot weather.
According to the European climate agency Copernicus, the globe warmed 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit this year which is the largest increase in the industrial age.
“Now is basically virtually certain that 2024 will become the warmest year on record,” said Carlo Buontempo, Copernicus Director.
Buontempo says increasing greenhouse gases are driving global warming and extreme weather events.
“By increasing the temperature of the atmosphere, we allow the atmosphere to hold more water vapor. This water vapor becomes fuel for this convective system and becomes rain that can be more torrential, more intense than ever before,” he said.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), temperatures are trending warmer in Seattle. The monthly average this year was higher for seven of the last 10 months, compared to the same time in 2023.
In 2015, the Paris Agreement was signed by multiple countries including the US to try and cap annual warming at 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
This year’s push against that ceiling could impact decisions and negotiations at the United Nations climate change summit this year.
The news is not all bad. The hole in the ozone layer is clearly closing.
“Now the problem is incredibly more complex. It has to do with our economic model, has to do with our way of using resources. And inevitably, this means much more complex conversation,” said Buontempo.