Projections indicate that 2024 is on track to become the warmest year recorded globally, with temperatures likely exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. The European climate service attributes this alarming trend mainly to human-induced climate change, compounded by natural events like El Niño. As the UN prepares for the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan, experts stress that these rising temperatures serve as an urgent wake-up call for global action. With average temperatures so elevated, only a drastic decrease in the last months of the year could prevent this unprecedented milestone.