Scientists expect that 2024 will be the hottest year on record, with a rise in temperatures exceeding what the world experienced in 2023.

In a statement on Thursday, the European Union's  Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said that 2024 will surpass its predecessor 2023 to become the hottest year on record.

This comes ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), scheduled to be held next week in Azerbaijan, where parties will attempt to agree on increasing funding to combat climate change.

In the meantime, Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election has undermined expectations about what the talks will yield. 

The Copernicus service reported that average temperatures have been extremely high from January to October, confirming that 2024 will be the hottest year unless global temperatures drop to nearly zero for the remainder of the year.

The service director, Carlo Buontempo, told Reuters, "The climate is getting hotter on all continents and oceans... So it is certain that we will witness record-breaking performances."

Carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the burning of coal, oil, and gas represent the main cause of global warming.

To avoid the worst consequences of global warming, countries agreed in the Paris Agreement in 2015 to strive to keep the Earth's temperature from rising by more than 1.5°C.

Although the globe has not yet met this aim, the Copernicus service currently expects the world to exceed the Paris Agreement target by 2030.