Is a perilous new era of climate change upon us?

If ever there was a wake-up call, this is it. The fire alarm is going off – no, the fire alarm is going off. Latest data confirms that 2024 is the first year in which global average temperatures have risen by 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, breaking the totem limit set by the Paris Agreement (2024 This is the first year confirmed to exceed 1.5°C warming (see “Limits”).

This is completely expected, so it's not that shocking. In January 2023, we reported that early modeling already suggested 2024 would be the first year to exceed this threshold. The unexpected is…