Welcome to Zero. I am Akshadrati. This week, a climate science mystery.

One year is out and a new year is here.

And if you're observing the broad trends of climate change, that might be enough to worry you.

The 10 hottest years on record have all occurred in the past decade.

And 2024 isn't bucking the trend.

In December, the European Union's Copernicus unit said that, when the final numbers are tallied,

it is virtually certain that 2024 will be the hottest year ever.

And for the first time, the global average temperature for the entire year is likely to go past the threshold of 1.5 degrees

Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

In his New Year's message, UN Secretary General Antonio Gutier's said,

this is, quote, climate breakdown in real time.

If you've been following this, it might be mind-numbing to hear scientists repeat

hottest year, hottest year, hottest year, hottest year, like a broken record year after year.

But it's pretty significant if you go past 1.5C and something worth unpacking. Because it's going to affect all of us.

1.5C is the goal under the Paris Agreement that all governments agreed on. It's also resulted in

corporations tying their net zero goals to the 1.5C target. So this week I wanted to speak with two Bloomberg

Green reporters who have followed this closely. Eric Rosten in New York and Zara

Hirji in recent years. and yet it is not quite the breach of the Paris Agreement, right?

It is significant.

There's been so much attention in recent years to the 1.5 degree goal,

and there's also been increasing concern as global temperatures are approaching it.

It's important to remember, though, that the Paris goal is understood to be an average.

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