Another weather record: June was the hottest since records began
According to Copernicus, the global average temperature for the year was "the highest ever recorded," with an increase of 1.64 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial times. While the thermometer in June remained near or even below seasonal averages in Western Europe, many other regions of the world experienced exceptional temperatures: Over 1300 people died in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj pilgrimage, where temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius. The Acropolis in Greece had to be closed in mid-June due to temperatures over 44 degrees. In Mexico and the USA, there was a deadly heatwave through early June.
In northern China, including Beijing, people were complaining about temperatures over 40 degrees. Meanwhile, the southern part of the country was hit by flooding. Kenya, Afghanistan, and Germany also experienced catastrophic flooding - another phenomenon that is being intensified globally by climate change, which increases maximum humidity and potential rain intensity.
Since June 2023, El Niño has contributed to the high temperatures, leading to warming of the ocean surface in the southern Pacific. El Niño, according to Copernicus climate scientist Julien Nicolas, cannot explain all the temperature record highs of the past months alone. As long as humanity continues to produce greenhouse gases, further temperature extremes are unavoidable, Buontempo emphasized.
According to reports, June 2024 was the twelfth month in a row to exceed the average of the pre-industrial era by 1.5 degrees. The international community had agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 to limit global warming to significantly under two degrees, preferably 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial era. However, this average is based on several decades. Facing the advancing global warming, this goal is becoming increasingly out of reach, and a persistent crossing of the 1.5-degree threshold seems imminent.
The recording of global temperatures for the year revealed the highest ever recorded average, surpassing pre-industrial times by 1.64 degrees Celsius, as stated by Copernicus. The start of recording for June in Western Europe showed temperatures close to or below seasonal averages. However, El Niño, which began in June 2023, contributed to the high temperatures, leading to warming of the ocean surface in the southern Pacific.
In Mexico and the USA, the start of June was marked by a deadly heatwave. Meanwhile, in Greece, the Acropolis had to be closed in mid-June due to temperatures exceeding 44 degrees Celsius, leading to the start of a weather record. Similarly, Kenya, Afghanistan, and Germany experienced catastrophic flooding, a phenomenon intensified by climate change.
The Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia in June 2023 saw over 1300 deaths due to temperatures reaching 51.8 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, the southern part of China was hit by flooding, adding to the weather records. In contrast, the thermometer in June remained near or below seasonal averages in Western Europe, defying the global trend.
As Copernicus climate scientist Julien Nicolas stated, El Niño cannot explain all the temperature record highs of the past months alone. The international community agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 to limit global warming to significantly under two degrees, preferably 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial era. However, as Carlo Buontempo emphasized, since June 2023, human-induced greenhouse gas production has made further temperature extremes unavoidable.
This goal of limiting global warming, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, is becoming increasingly out of reach. The persistent crossing of the 1.5-degree threshold seems imminent, with June 2024 being the twelfth month in a row to exceed the average of the pre-industrial era by 1.5 degrees. The advancing global warming has illuminated the need for more drastic measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions and keep the earth's temperature within safe limits.
