Mayotte devastated by cyclone Chido, Valencia, in Spain, ravaged by floods, the US battered by two hurricanes... Last year, climate catastrophes rained down relentlessly on the planet, summoning up a wide range of superlatives: "Out of the ordinary," "Dantesque," "monstrous." Two records need to be added to the picture of an exceptional climatic year: 2024 has been ranked as the hottest ever observed, ahead of 2023, and the first for which warming exceeds the pre-industrial period by 1.5°C. So much so that the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) sounded "a Red Alert at the sheer pace of climate change" in its interim report on the state of the climate in 2024 published in November.

Between January and September 2024, the average global surface temperature exceeded the pre-industrial average by 1.54°C, according to the UN body. For 16 consecutive months, from June 2023 to September 2024, the global average temperature broke all previous records, often by far. The last 10 years have also been the hottest on record. "2024 marks a historic turning point. We're on the high and expected trend of climate change," said climatologist Christophe Cassou.

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