Brussels: This year is on track to be the hottest in recorded history, with abnormally high temperatures expected to persist well into the early months of 2025, according to European Union scientists.

Data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), released on Monday, confirms that 2024 will surpass previous records as the warmest year ever, marking the first time global temperatures have exceeded 1.5°C (2.7°F) above pre-industrial levels of 1850-1900. The previous record-holder was 2023.

This unprecedented heat has been accompanied by extreme weather events worldwide in 2024. Severe droughts have plagued Italy and South America, catastrophic floods have struck Nepal, Sudan, and parts of Europe, and deadly heatwaves in Mexico, Mali, and Saudi Arabia have claimed thousands of lives. The United States and the Philippines have also faced devastating cyclones. Scientific analyses confirm human-driven climate change as a key factor in these disasters.

November 2024 ranked as the second-warmest November on record, just behind November 2023. "We are still seeing near-record-high temperatures globally, and this trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future," said Julien Nicolas, a climate researcher with Copernicus.

Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use remain the primary driver of climate change. Although many governments have pledged to achieve net-zero emissions, global CO2 emissions are projected to hit an all-time high in 2024. Achieving net-zero emissions is critical to halting the worsening trajectory of global warming.

Scientists are also monitoring the potential emergence of a La Niña weather pattern in 2025, which could temporarily cool ocean surface temperatures. However, this would not reverse the broader warming trend caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The world is currently experiencing neutral conditions following the conclusion of an El Niño phase earlier this year.

"If La Niña forms in 2025, temperatures may dip slightly compared to 2024, but this doesn't mean they will return to 'safe' or 'normal' levels," said Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer at Imperial College London. "We will still face extreme heat, droughts, wildfires, and tropical storms."

C3S bases its findings on records dating back to 1940, cross-referenced with global data extending to 1850. These findings come shortly after the conclusion of U.N. climate talks that produced a $300-billion climate package—a deal criticized by poorer nations as inadequate to address the mounting costs of climate-related disasters.