The 1.5°C global temperature threshold has offically been exceeded

Well, we all knew it, but now it's official: 2024 was the hottest year on record and the first year to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (which is usually taken as 1850-1900). The dreaded 1.5°C threshold has therefore been passed, and it continues to increase with no sign of a slow-down. Paris Climate Agreement bye-bye.

A couple of graphs from Europe's Copernicus Project paint a stark picture. The first one shows the not-so-slow-and-steady increase of global average surface temperatures over and above pre-industrial levels for every year since 1967. The second one shows five year averages all the way back to 1850.

It makes sobering viewing. Unless, of course, you just don't care, which seems to be the position taken by an increasing umber of populist governments, and the people who vote for them.