Scots green groups have called for urgent action as 2024 was named the hottest year in recorded history. Experts say last year was a “watershed” year for the climate as the first to breach in full the 1.5C global warming limit.
WWF Scotland insisted it must be a “stark wake-up call” here and around the world to accelerate policies to slash emissions. They urged the Scottish Government to finally bring forward key eco legislation such as setting targets in law to phase out gas boilers and restore nature.
The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) confirmed previous projections that 2024 was the warmest on record globally and the first calendar year that the average temperature exceeded 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The 1.5C “safe” global warming limit was set by world leaders at the historic 2015 Paris climate accords.
Claire Daly, Head of Policy and Advocacy at WWF Scotland, said: “The Copernicus climate data is another stark wake-up call that highlights the need to tackle the climate emergency head-on. We need to invest in a fair transition to warm homes, clean energy and nature-friendly farming. There really is no longer any time to delay.
“The Scottish Government must speed up action including the introduction of an ambitious Heat in Buildings Bill as soon as possible and set out clearly how it will transform support for our farmers and crofters to help them grow nutritious food, whilst supporting nature recovery and climate resilience. Policies have to be put into action now.”
Scientists said human-caused climate change was the primary driver for record temperatures, while other factors such as the Pacific Ocean’s “El Nino” weather phenomenon, which raises global temperatures also had an effect. UK analysis found the global average temperature in 2024 was 1.53C above the 1850-1900 average, while Copernicus’ estimate puts it at 1.6C higher – 0.12C above 2023 which was the previous hottest year on record.
Colin Morice of the Met Office said: “A single year exceeding 1.5C above pre-industrial does not mean a breach of the Paris Agreement 1.5C guard rail – that would require a temperature of at least 1.5C on average over a longer period. However, it does show that the headroom to avoid an exceedance of 1.5C, over a sustained period, is now wafer thin.”
Each of the past ten years now ranks in the top ten warmest years since records began. Samantha Burgess, from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) which runs C3S, said: “We are now teetering on the edge of passing the 1.5C level defined in the Paris Agreement and the average of the last two years is already above this level.
“These high global temperatures, coupled with record global atmospheric water vapour levels in 2024, meant unprecedented heatwaves and heavy rainfall events, causing misery for millions of people.”
Professor Rowan Sutton, director of the Met Office Hadley Centre, said: “Every fraction of a degree rise in global temperature increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, commits the world to greater rises in sea level and increases the risk of crossing potential planet-altering tipping points such as breakdown of the Amazon rainforest biome or ice sheet collapse in Greenland or the Antarctic. This notable landmark further highlights the urgency of efforts to minimise future warming.”
UK climate minister Kerry McCarthy said: “Breaching the 1.5C target sends a clear signal: there is much more work to be done to keep 1.5C within reach and prevent climate catastrophe. The scale of the challenge is huge, but through collective action we can deliver change at the scale and pace required.”
She added: “Not only is this crucial for our planet, it is the economic opportunity of the 21st century. Through our clean energy superpower mission this government is showing what can be done.”
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