NOAA: “2024 almost certain to end as the world’s warmest year on record”

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – 2024 has been the warmest year-to-date on record across the globe, according to scientists with NOAA, with temperatures reaching 2.3° Fahrenheit above the 20th century average.

By the end of the year, 2024 will likely be the warmest year in our 175-year recorded history says NOAA and Copernicus Climate Change Service reports.

READ MORE: Worldwide, American, European agencies agree on 2024 climate assessment

For the first time, the average global temperature is on track to break the long term 1.5° Celsius threshold set by the Paris Climate Agreement back in 2015

Why is that number important, Shel Winkley, a Meteorologist at Climate Central explains , saying “Above that 1.5° Celsius of warming, above that pre-industrial average, that now means a world that is less comfortable to live in.”

Paris Agreement: Learn what the Paris Agreement is and what has been done to combat climate change

Winkley explains this could lead to more flooding in some parts of the world, extreme droughts in others, and less snowy winters due to a shortened season. These are all phenomenon we’ve experienced more of in NE Indiana and NW Ohio through the years.

So how did we get here? 97% of climate scientists agree that humans have aided in climate change. The greenhouses gases we’re putting into the atmosphere are leading to an increase in global temperatures. The warmer weather is also contributing to more Billion Dollar Disasters.

Winkley says, “There’s less of a time to repair and recuperate from them, and the biggest example we saw of that in 2024 is Hurricane Helene and then immediately following, Hurricane Milton, which then eventually impacted some of the same areas.”

NOAA reports that in both 2023 and 2024, Indiana has been involved in 7 “individual” billion dollar disaster events.

BILLION-DOLLAR DISASTERS: NOAA report on Billion-Dollar Disasters in the United States

So, what can we do? It can be as big as voting for people who believe in climate policies you support or as small as carpooling

Winkley says action can start right in your neighborhood, “Start talking about the weather that you’re experiencing and the things that are happening around the world, and then figure out what you can do together”

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