New Delhi: With millions of people across five continents experiencing scorching heat last month, the European Union's (EU) climate agency, Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), confirmed on Monday that June was the warmest on record.
It also marked the 12th consecutive month in which global temperatures reached 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
According to C3S scientists, every month since June last year has been the warmest month ever recorded.
In January, the world completed an entire year in which the average surface air temperature exceeded the 1.5 degree threshold. June was the 12th consecutive month with monthly average temperatures above the pre-industrial average of 1850-1900.
At the 2015 UN climate talks in Paris, world leaders pledged to limit the rise in global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial period to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. However, a permanent violation of the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit specified in the Paris Agreement refers to long-term warming over a period of 20 or 30 years.
The Earth's global surface temperature has already increased by about 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to the 1850-1900 average due to the rapid increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide and methane) in the atmosphere. This warming is considered the reason behind record droughts, wildfires and floods around the world.
According to new data, June 2024 was the warmest ever recorded, with an average surface air temperature of 16.66 degrees Celsius, 0.67 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average and 0.14 degrees Celsius above above the previous high set in June 2023.
"The month was 1.5 degrees Celsius above the estimated June average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period, making it the 12th consecutive month to meet or exceed the 1.5 degree threshold," C3S said in a statement.
It was also the 13th consecutive month of record temperatures, a result of the combined effect of the 2023-24 El Niño event and human-caused climate change. Although unusual, a similar streak of monthly global temperature records occurred in 2015-2016.
"This is more than a statistical oddity and highlights a large and ongoing change in our climate. Even if this specific streak of extremes ends at some point, we will likely see new records broken as the climate continues to warm. This is inevitable unless we stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and oceans," said Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S.
It also marked the 12th consecutive month in which global temperatures reached 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
According to C3S scientists, every month since June last year has been the warmest month ever recorded.
In January, the world completed an entire year in which the average surface air temperature exceeded the 1.5 degree threshold. June was the 12th consecutive month with monthly average temperatures above the pre-industrial average of 1850-1900.
At the 2015 UN climate talks in Paris, world leaders pledged to limit the rise in global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial period to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. However, a permanent violation of the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit specified in the Paris Agreement refers to long-term warming over a period of 20 or 30 years.
The Earth's global surface temperature has already increased by about 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to the 1850-1900 average due to the rapid increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide and methane) in the atmosphere. This warming is considered the reason behind record droughts, wildfires and floods around the world.
According to new data, June 2024 was the warmest ever recorded, with an average surface air temperature of 16.66 degrees Celsius, 0.67 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average and 0.14 degrees Celsius above above the previous high set in June 2023.
"The month was 1.5 degrees Celsius above the estimated June average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period, making it the 12th consecutive month to meet or exceed the 1.5 degree threshold," C3S said in a statement.
It was also the 13th consecutive month of record temperatures, a result of the combined effect of the 2023-24 El Niño event and human-caused climate change. Although unusual, a similar streak of monthly global temperature records occurred in 2015-2016.
"This is more than a statistical oddity and highlights a large and ongoing change in our climate. Even if this specific streak of extremes ends at some point, we will likely see new records broken as the climate continues to warm. This is inevitable unless we stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and oceans," said Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S.
