The average temperature across the globe in 2024 set a record. Climate change is helping drive longer and more intense heat waves. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP 2023 was a chart-topper. A surge in global temperatures made it the hottest year since record-keeping began in the mid-1800s, producing heat that one scientist called ” gobsmackingly bananas .” Then came 2024. Scientists say this year is almost certain to take over the top spot as the hottest year. The global average temperature could potentially breach a key threshold, reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial average. Countries have agreed to try to limit warming to below that level in order to avoid much more intense storms, rainfall and heat waves . The record-setting build up of heat has surprised scientists, setting off a climatic whodunit. Some drivers are clear. A primary cause is the continued burning of fossil fuels, compounded by the natural El Niño climate pattern, which raised temperatures globally. But those factors alone may not account for the full surge in persistent heat seen this year, scientists say. They’re now exploring what other factors may have contributed, from a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific to a lack of cloud cover that normally shields the planet from the sun’s heat. The year was also marked by destructive storms and heat waves, continuing a concerning trend as the Earth’s temperatures steadily rise. The past 10 years have been the warmest 10 years since record-keeping began. “It’s getting tiring saying over and over again that it’s the warmest, but it’s important to know,” says Jared Rennie, research meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “We keep hearing it’s warm, warm, warm but there’s repercussions. It’s affecting all of us one way or another.” Climate detective […]