Japan says 2024 hottest on record; ever-rising greenhouse gas emissions fuel climate change

Japan’s summer in 2024 was already the joint hottest on record – equalling the level seen in 2023 – while autumn was the warmest since records began. - PHOTO: NORIKO HAYASHI/NYTIMES

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's weather agency said Monday that last year was the hottest since records began, mirroring other nations as ever-rising greenhouse gas emissions fuel climate change.

Worldwide, 2024 was expected to have been the warmest recorded, the UN's weather and climate agency said last week, capping a decade of unprecedented heat and other types of extreme weather.