As 2024 comes to a close, it is all but certain to be the hottest year on record.

The global average temperature could breach a major threshold, reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius, roughly 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, above the preindustrial average of temperatures. This is due to several factors that occurred this year, mainly the continued burning of fossil fuels and the natural El Nino climate pattern, which raised temperatures globally.