Last month marked the hottest June on record and continued a troubling trend of 13 consecutive months setting new temperature highs, according to the latest data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
“These latest figures from the Copernicus Climate Change Service highlight that we are increasingly likely to exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold temporarily on a monthly basis,” stated Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The critical 1.5°C threshold indicates the temperature rise above pre-industrial levels starting from 1850.
Long-Term Outlook
“Temporary breaches do not signify the permanent loss of the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal, as it pertains to long-term warming over at least two decades,” Celeste Saulo elaborated.
Efforts to limit the global average surface temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century are central to the Paris Agreement, enacted in 2016.
The scientific community warns that surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius could lead to severe climate change impacts and extreme weather events, stressing the importance of every fraction of a degree. For instance, every 0.1 degree Celsius increase leads to noticeable increases in temperature and precipitation extremes and droughts, according to the WMO.
Extreme Weather Patterns
Even at current warming levels, the world faces devastating climate impacts. The WMO reports more extreme heatwaves, rainfall events, droughts, glacier reductions, and accelerating sea level rise. Extreme heat is particularly deadly, causing an estimated 489,000 heat-related deaths annually between 2000 and 2019, according to a 2023 WMO report.
June’s record sea surface temperatures also pose significant threats to marine ecosystems and fuel tropical cyclones, as evidenced by Hurricane Beryl. Sea ice at the poles is declining, with the Arctic and Antarctic seeing substantial reductions.
Global Highlights
Globally, Europe experienced the most significant temperature increases in the southeast and Turkiye. Outside Europe, eastern Canada, the western United States and Mexico, Brazil, northern Siberia, the Middle East, northern Africa, and western Antarctica saw above-average temperatures. The eastern equatorial Pacific had below-average temperatures, indicating a developing La Nina, while air temperatures over the ocean remained unusually high in many regions.
“Even if this streak of extremes ends, new records will inevitably be broken as the climate continues to warm,” said Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. “This will persist unless we halt the addition of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and oceans.”
GreentechLead.com News Desk