All Things Sustainable (formerly ESG Insider)

2024 was the hottest year on record — here's what that means for climate goals

Jan 24, 2025

Julien Nicolas, Senior Scientist at the Copernicus Climate Change Service, shares insights on the alarming report that 2024 is the hottest year on record. He discusses how this dramatic temperature rise links to increased extreme weather events, emphasizing the urgent need for emission reductions. Julien also highlights adaptation strategies as essential to mitigate climate impacts, stressing that both approaches are crucial for resilient communities. His expertise sheds light on moving beyond just limits set by the Paris Agreement to actionable climate solutions.

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INSIGHT

Paris Agreement Threshold Exceeded

2024 marked the first year exceeding the 1.5°C Paris Agreement threshold.
This serves as a warning, emphasizing the urgency of emissions cuts.

INSIGHT

2025 Temperature Outlook

A La Niña event is predicted for 2025, potentially reducing temperatures compared to 2024.
However, 2025 will likely still rank among the warmest years recorded.

ADVICE

Address Root Cause of Warming

Cut greenhouse gas emissions from human activities as a top priority.
Focus on reaching net-zero emissions rapidly to limit temperature rise.

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In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we take a deep dive into a new report that found 2024 was the warmest year on record.

The report is from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which is the EU's Earth Observation Program and provides information about climate across the world. The report found that average global temperatures for the year were more than 1.5 degrees C above preindustrial levels — the global warming limit set in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

"Even if at some point, we overshoot this target, I think we need to continue to pursue efforts to cut global emissions and bring the temperature below 1.5 degrees," Copernicus Senior Scientist Julien Nicolas tells us.

In the episode, Julien explains the connection between extreme weather events and climate change. He also talks to us about the importance of adaptation measures alongside mitigation efforts.

"Adaptation is really another key aspect of addressing the impact of climate change," Julien says.

Read research from S&P Global Sustainable1 about how climate change is exacerbating drought risks here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/how-climate-change-is-exacerbating-drought-risks

Join us to celebrate the 7-year anniversary of this podcast with a live event in NYC on Feb. 6. Register here: https://events.spglobal.com/event/075966b7-f60b-4a45-b489-c35e954d8baf/summary-full-event-info-?RefId=S1EMAIL

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.

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