By Marco Lopez
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) out of Europe has reported Summer 2024 as the hottest on record. In fact, according to Deputy Director of C3S, Samantha Burgess, “the globe has experienced the hottest June and August, the hottest day on record, and the hottest boreal summer on record” within the past three months of 2024.
August 2024 was 1.5°C above preindustrial levels and was the 13th month in a 14-month period for which the global average surface air temperature exceeded this limit set by the Paris Agreement.
The global average temperature for the past 12 months is the highest on record for the period.
According to the C3S report, “The average anomaly for the remaining months of this year would need to drop by at least 0.30°C for 2024 not to be warmer than 2023.”
This has never happened in the entire ERA5 dataset, the EU-based climate monitoring group points out.
This makes it increasingly likely that 2024 is going to be the warmest year on record.
In comments, Burgess points out, “The temperature-related extreme events witnessed this summer will only become more intense, with more devastating consequences for people and the planet unless we take urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Since June, every month has been the world’s hottest on record.
Director of C3S, Carlo Buontempo says, “This has been a very exceptional year, climate-wise… in a league of its own, even when compared to other very warm years.”
Despite these worrying trends, C02 emissions remain high – with record levels of emission from burning coal, oil, and gas being recorded in 2023. The concentration of C0@ in the atmosphere last year rose to the highest level of 419 parts per million, according to C3S.
Significant political changes are needed globally to hasten the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to match the speed of and address the worsening effects of climate change.
