Climate
Copernicus: Europe had record heat and widespread flooding in 2024
Europe’s warmest year on record was 2024. Flooding killed at least 335 people and affected an estimated 413,000.
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Infrastructure
Eurostat: sea carried 67% of EU freight performance
By tonne-kilometres, maritime transport accounted for 67% of EU freight performance. Road’s share was 25.7%.
Infrastructure
Eurostat: EU inland waterway freight rose 4.5% in 2024
Freight performance grew 4.5% year over year, its first rise after two annual declines.
Infrastructure
Eurostat: EU rail passenger-kilometres rose 5.8% in 2024
Main undertakings reached 443 billion passenger-kilometres, up from 419 billion in 2023. The series began in 2004.
Infrastructure
Eurostat: EU railway accident deaths fell 10.8% in 2024
Accident deaths fell from 841 in 2023 to 750. Unauthorised people on tracks accounted for 65.6%.
Infrastructure
Eurostat: EU road freight tonnage fell 0.7% in 2024
Tonnage declined 0.7%, while tonne-kilometre performance rose 0.7%.
Technology
IMF: Digital financial transactions rose to 251 per adult
The IMF’s 2025 Financial Access Survey reported that digital transactions, including mobile money and mobile and internet banking, rose from 55 per adult in 2017 to 251 in 2024.
Technology
OECD: Business AI adoption differs widely across countries
In OECD’s 2025 analysis, 13.9% of businesses in the OECD area and 13.5% in the EU-27 used AI solutions in 2024.
Climate
UNEP: a 42% emissions cut by 2030 is needed for 1.5°C
Annual greenhouse-gas emissions need to fall 42% by 2030 and 57% by 2035 from 2019 levels.
Technology
WIPO: Global patent filings reached 3.7 million in 2024
WIPO’s 2025 indicators report counted 3.7 million patent applications worldwide in 2024, a 4.9% annual increase.
Climate
WMO: 2024 set a global temperature record
Surface temperature was 1.55 ± 0.13°C above 1850–1900. WMO cautioned against conflating a single year with the long-term threshold.
Climate
WMO: Africa was 0.86°C above average in 2024
Annual surface temperature exceeded the 1991–2020 average by about 0.86°C. North Africa’s anomaly was 1.28°C.