2024 is set to be the hottest year on record

For a few years, we actually didn't see much of a change in global temperature changes, as it looked as though average annual temperatures was plateauing at around 1.3C above the pre-industrial average. But then 2023 hit and we saw average annual temperatures skyrocketing, up to almost 1.5C... 2024 is unfortunately continuing that increase.

BBC News reports that 2024 is set to become the hottest year on record, with a global temperature increase that is above 1.5C, likely at 1.55C by the time the final batch of data is collected at the end of the year, making this the first time 1.5C has ever been topped.

This isn't quite enough to breach the 1.5C limit imposed in the Paris climate agreement, as that pertains to data within a 20-year period, but it's worrying nonetheless as higher global temperatures have been attributed to increased and more severe natural disasters, such as one that recently rampaged through and caused huge devastation in Spain.

We'll likely see this as a big topic of conversation next week, when global leaders all flock to Azerbaijan to attend the environmental summit COP29.