Global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees for the first time in twelve months - Green Party leader calls for investment in eco-industry

The global temperatures in January 2024 have been higher than ever before in this month since records began. This was reported by the European Union's climate change service Copernicus on Thursday. For the first time, the global warming average over a twelve-month period (February 2023 to January 2024) is now above 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial era. However, this does not yet mean that the Paris 1.5-degree target has been missed, as long-term average values are considered for this. A rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is the only way to stop the rise in global temperatures, warned Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess. The average January temperature in 2024 was 1.66 degrees higher than the estimated average temperature in January between 1850 and 1900, it was said. Experts consider it quite possible that 2024 will be even warmer and that the entire year could exceed the 1.5-degree threshold for the first time.

According to Copernicus, last year was 1.48 degrees warmer than the global pre-industrial average and thus the warmest since records began in 1850. "It is likely that temperatures in 2023 were warmer than in the past 100,000 years," Burgess had stated in early January. Europe experienced the second warmest year since records began.

"Despite some important successes of the world community – most recently in Dubai, where states agreed on the end of fossil fuels – we are still far from meeting the Paris Climate Agreement and thus protecting our livelihood," said Green Party Chairwoman Ricarda Lang.

The current figures are not only a warning to humanity but also a call to action, emphasized Lang. The upcoming European elections are about a directional decision. "We want our industries to remain competitive, and for future technologies to settle in our regions." For this, investment in the climate-neutral modernization of the economy and social infrastructure is needed.

The weather phenomenon El Niño has now begun to weaken, but air temperatures over the sea are still at unusually high levels, Copernicus reported on the current situation. The recurring weather phenomenon heats up the Pacific every few years and can further drive up global temperatures.