News
EU scientists predict 2024 to be hottest year on record
By Francesca Hangeior
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service disclosed on Thursday that year 2024 is “virtually certain” to surpass 2023 as the world’s warmest since records began.
The data was released ahead of next week’s UN COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, where countries will try to reach an agreement on a significant increase in funding to tackle climate change.
C3S stated that from January to October, the average global temperature was so high that 2024 was certain to be the world’s hottest year – unless the temperature anomaly for the rest of the year dropped to near zero.
“The fundamental, underlying cause of this year’s record is climate change,” C3S Director Carlo Buontempo made this disclosure to journalists on Thursday.
“The climate is warm, generally. It’s warming on all continents, in all ocean basins. So we are bound to see these records being broken,” he said.
The scientists also said that 2024 will be the first year in which the planet’s temperature is more than 1.5°C hotter than in the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period when humans began burning fossil fuels on an industrial scale.
Carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal, oil, and gas are the main causes of global warming.
A climate scientist at the public research university ETH Zurich, Sonia Seneviratne, said she was not surprised by the milestone.
She urged governments at COP29 to agree on stronger action to reduce their economies’ reliance on CO2-emitting fossil fuels.
“The limits set in the Paris Agreement are starting to crumble due to the too-slow pace of climate action across the world,” Seneviratne said.
Countries agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement to try to prevent global warming from surpassing 1.5°C (2.7°F) to avoid its worst consequences.
The world has not yet breached that target – which refers to an average global temperature of 1.5°C over decades – but C3S now expects the world to exceed the Paris goal around 2030.
“It’s basically just around the corner now,” Buontempo said.
Every fraction of a temperature increase exacerbates extreme weather.
In October, catastrophic flash floods killed hundreds of people in Spain, record wildfires ravaged Peru, and flooding in Bangladesh destroyed more than one million tonnes of rice, sending food prices soaring.
Members of the Enugu State Caucus of Peoples Democratic Party, ( PDP) in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Nnolim Nnaji , Rt. Hon. Martins Oke and Hon Anayo Onwuegbu have welcomed Rt. Hon. Dennis Agbo and Hon. Chidi Mark Obeta of Labour Party, (LP) to the PDP fold.
They observed that the visionary leadership of Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mba in Enugu State has ignited massive decamps and unprecedented upsurge of membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in the state.
The caucus in a statement issued after the two members of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Dennis Agbo of Igboeze North/ Udenu and Chidi Mark Obeta who represents Nsukka/Igboeze South formally announced their transfer of membership to PDP at the resumption of House plenary on Tuesday said it was gladdening to receive them into the PDP fold.
They stressed that PDP in Enugu State was witnessing a great rebirth as a result of the transformative development agenda being unleashed in various sectors of the economy of the state by Governor Mba which has received global commendations.
The Enugu State caucus Leader, Rt. Hon. Nnolim Nnaji on behalf of the members further noted that Governor Mba’s investments in infrastructure, agro economy, and security among others have made Enugu State a tourist’s haven adding that with the good governance structure he has put in place, his second tenure would be a walkover.
Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor, along with twenty-one other former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), elected into the Assembly has officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), following a major realignment of political stakeholders across the state.
The defection of the twenty-two lawmakers has effectively transformed the Delta State House of Assembly into a one-party legislature, as the remaining seven members were originally elected on the ticket of the APC.
Announcing the development on Tuesday during the resumption of plenary after the Easter break, the Speaker stated that the decision was the result of extensive consultations with their constituents and political leaders throughout the state.
He emphasized that the move aligned with Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
While expressing appreciation to members for their contributions so far, Guwor urged the House to ensure the completion of all pending bills as the second legislative session nears its end.
He noted that the political shift towards the APC was in response to the realignment of stakeholders and the desire to align with the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership.
“The mass defection of members of the Peoples Democratic Party, led by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, to the All Progressives Congress was made in the overall interest of Deltans and the state,” the Speaker said.
He explained that the decision followed extensive consultations held on April 23 and which cumulated on the official reception on April 28, 2025, at the Government House and the Cenotaph, respectively.
He said: “We are fully committed to partnering with the Federal Government to deliver greater development to Deltans.
“On behalf of the House, I commend the courage and visionary leadership of our Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, in making this strategic and timely decision.
“As a legislative body, we stand with His Excellency in this endeavour. This renewed partnership between the state and Federal Government must be supported and allowed to flourish, so that we can begin to enjoy its benefits in the shortest possible time.”
He informed the House that he had received twenty-two letters (including his own) notifying of the change of party affiliation from the PDP to the APC.
The defection, he said, was driven by instability within the PDP’s national leadership and factional divisions within the South-South Zonal Executive Committee, leading to internal conflicts and disunity within the party.
Citing Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Speaker affirmed the constitutional basis for the defection.
“With this action, the Delta State House of Assembly is now composed entirely of members from the All Progressives Congress. We thank our constituents for endorsing this progressive course of action”.
A motion to adopt the letters of party change was moved by the Majority Leader, Hon. Emeka Nwaobi, and seconded by Hon. Ferguson Onwo, who represents Isoko South II.
Speaking to journalists after the plenary, the Majority Leader, Hon Emeka Nwaobi reiterated that the defection was prompted by the crisis within the PDP.
“Our decision was based on the instability at the national level and the factionalization at the South-South level. Consequently, we chose to move to the ruling All Progressives Congress, in accordance with Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended,” he said.
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