In 2024, the fashion world saw an unprecedented trend with the rise of the "dress naked style," where sheer and transparent clothing dominated runways and red carpets, perhaps reflecting societal adaptation to the year's extreme heat. However, this cultural shift was set against the backdrop of 2024 being the hottest year on record, sparking debates on the actual drivers of global warming. While CO2 levels reached new peaks, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), there's a growing argument among some scientists and skeptics that CO2 acts more as a trailing indicator rather than a primary cause of warming. They suggest that CO2 concentrations increase following ocean warming, which releases stored CO2 into the atmosphere, rather than human emissions directly causing the heat trap effect. This perspective challenges the conventional narrative, proposing that natural climatic events like the strong El Niño of 2024 played a more significant role in the year's temperature anomalies.
 

The record temperatures in 2024, where each month from January to September broke previous records, support the trend of the last decade being the warmest on record. Yet, the debate over CO2's role highlights other potential warming factors. Critics argue that phenomena such as reduced cloud cover over tropical oceans could decrease Earth's albedo, leading to more solar energy absorption and thus contributing to the heat, independent of CO2 levels. These arguments suggest that global warming might be influenced by a complex array of natural cycles and not solely by CO2 emissions, challenging the urgency of CO2-focused mitigation strategies.
 

Beyond the CO2 debate, 2024's extreme temperatures were also affected by regional weather patterns and human activities. Heatwaves swept across continents, possibly exacerbated by natural cycles but also by human-induced factors like urbanization, which leads to the urban heat island effect. The shift to cleaner fuels, reducing atmospheric aerosols, might have inadvertently contributed to warming by decreasing the reflection of sunlight. While the "dress naked style" became a symbol of the year's heat, the broader discourse on CO2 as a trailing indicator pushes for a more comprehensive understanding of climate change, encompassing solar activity, ocean cycles, and other variables, which could inform more effective climate policies and adaptation strategies.