Graphic detail | Hot streak

Six charts help to explain 2024’s freakish temperatures

Could the end of El Niño bring some relief?

CLIMATE SCIENTISTS say they are running out of adjectives to describe recent weather anomalies. Last year was the hottest on record: the World Meteorological Organisation said that temperatures were roughly 1.45°C above pre-industrial levels. Samantha Burgess, the deputy director of the EU’s climate agency, said that the second half of 2023 had “truly been shocking”. 

This year could be hotter still. The six charts below visualise the latest anomalies and project where things could go next.

Explore more

Discover more

The world’s most innovative country

A ranking of 133 countries shows that the global innovation boom is stalling

Who is really in charge of Lebanon?

A visual guide to the country’s tattered political system


The states that will decide America’s next president

Insights from our election forecast model


Want to win an argument? Use a chatbot

AI appears to do a better job of countering conspiracy theories than humans do

What makes Australia so liveable?

The country has some of the highest-ranked cities in EIU’s liveability index 

Should euthanasia be allowed for those with mental illnesses? 

Legislators and doctors are struggling to define who should have the right to die