As frigid temperatures usher in 2025 with extreme cold for many of us, the record stands to show that 2024 was our hottest year on record! The nation’s and world’s top scientists reported on this data.
You can see for yourself what NASA is reporting here. In part, NASA posts, “Global temperatures in 2024 were 2.30 degrees Fahrenheit (1.28 degrees Celsius) above the agency’s 20th-century baseline (1951-1980), which tops the record set in 2023. The new record comes after 15 consecutive months (June 2023 through August 2024) of monthly temperature records — an unprecedented heat streak.”
The World Meteorological Organization also reports on this new heat record for 2024. This global organization concurs with the NASA scientists, and also notes that it’s been a hot decade. “The past 10 years have all been in the Top Ten, in an extraordinary streak of record-breaking temperatures.”
The tragic forest fires claiming lives and destroying West Coast communities are a day-to-day reminder of why this temperature change matters. Established climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe explains the connection here in her recent blog post. “We know that climate change is creating warmer, drier conditions that cause fire seasons in some regions like western North America to last longer and be more active.”
Is there still time for solutions to the climate crisis? The National Renewable Energy Laboratory contributed to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, and specifically in the chapter on Mitigation. The chapter, citing NREL research numerous times, highlights the pathways to reach net-zero emissions, which include key solutions already being explored at the laboratory: “improvements in energy efficiency, greater reliance on solar and wind energy, widespread electrification and reliance on emerging technologies.”
Anne Brock is marketing coordinator for Solar Alliance, which provides professional commercial solar services to businesses, utilities and nonprofits. She can be reached at abrock@solaralliance.com or 865-221-8349.
