World temperatures smash records for nearly a year straight. Both air and ocean temperatures have been on a record-breaking streak for the past 12 months and 13 months, respectively.
The planet is in the midst of a scorching, record-obliterating heat streak, with May 2024 expected to become the 12th consecutive month to set a new high for global temperatures since the pre-industrial era, scientists said.
Both air and ocean temperatures have been on a record-breaking run — 12 straight months for air temperatures and 13 months for ocean temperatures — reflecting a greater fingerprint of human-caused climate change than any natural climate fluctuations, according to data from scientific monitoring groups.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
“With half the month of data in, it’s very likely (greater than 95 percent chance) that May 2024 will be the warmest May on record, extending the streak of record-breaking months to 12 in a row,” Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist with the nonprofit Berkeley Earth, wrote on the social media platform X.
The relentless onslaught of heat, which has fueled deadly extreme weather across the globe, shows how rapidly the world is being reshaped by the accumulation of planet-warming greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels. On May 15, the World Meteorological Organization declared that April 2024 was the hottest month on record globally, with an average temperature of 15.03 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) — 1.58 degrees C (2.84 degrees F) above pre-industrial levels.
While the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold for temperature increase was temporarily breached in April, climate scientists emphasized that the Paris Agreement’s goal refers to a long-term temperature increase over decades rather than monthly fluctuations.
Still, the records keep falling at an alarming pace. April was the warmest on record for South America and the second warmest for Europe, according to U.S. data. Snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere hit a record low. Sea-surface temperatures also reached unprecedented highs for the 13th consecutive month.
A Record-Breaking Air and Ocean Temperatures
“The sea-surface temperature in several ocean basins, including in the tropical belt, continues to be record high, releasing more heat and moisture to the atmosphere and thus exacerbating conditions,” said Alvaro Silva, a WMO climate expert.
The extreme heat fueled numerous weather disasters in April and May. A World Weather Attribution analysis found that the intense heat waves that scorched parts of Asia, killing hundreds, were made at least 30 times more likely by the 1.2 degrees Celsius of global warming caused by humans since pre-industrial times. The group said heatwaves in the Philippines would have been “impossible” without climate change.
Countries across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and South America experienced flooding, drought and other dangerous conditions driven by the extraordinary warmth. “The heatwave added pressure to the many challenges already faced by people in refugee camps and conflict zones,” the scientists said.
With June on track to potentially extend the record streak to 13 months, the prolonged burst of heat underscores the rapidly narrowing window to rein in greenhouse gas emissions and prevent still worse warming in the decades ahead.
Lead image courtesy of bgfoto from Getty Images Signature
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