Last month, millions of people on five continents experienced extreme heat, and on Monday, the European Union's (EU) climate agency, Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), verified that June was the hottest on record.
This also indicated that global temperatures had been 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average for 12 consecutive months.
C3S scientists stated that every month since June of the previous year had been the warmest on record.
In January, the world marked an entire year with the mean surface air temperature surpassing the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold. Additionally, June was the 12th consecutive month with monthly average temperatures above those of the 1850-1900 pre-industrial era.
During the 2015 UN climate talks in Paris, world leaders pledged to restrict the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial period to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. However, a continual breach of the 1.5-degree Celsius limit outlined in the Paris Agreement pertains to sustained warming over a 20 or 30-year period.
The global surface temperature of the Earth has risen by approximately 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to the average in 1850-1900, due to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide and methane, in the atmosphere. This increase in temperature is believed to be the cause of extreme droughts, wildfires, and floods across the globe.
New data indicates that June 2024 experienced the highest temperatures on record, with an average surface air temperature of 16.66 degrees Celsius. This was 0.67 degrees Celsius higher than the average for the month of June during the period from 1991 to 2020, and 0.14 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record 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 reach or break the 1.5-degree threshold," C3S said in a statement.
It also marked the 13th straight month of setting record-high temperatures, which was due to both the 2023-24 El Nino event and human-induced climate change. While uncommon, a comparable series of consecutive monthly global temperature records occurred back in 2015-16.
"This is more than a statistical oddity and highlights a large and continuing shift in our climate. Even if this specific streak of extremes ends at some point, we are bound to see new records being broken as the climate continues to warm. This is inevitable, unless we stop adding greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and the oceans," said Carlo Buontempo, the director of C3S.
The global average temperature for the most recent 12 months (July 2023-June 2024) has been confirmed as the highest on record by the European climate agency, with a rise of 0.76 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average and 1.64 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.
In June, the world's sea surface also reached its highest recorded temperature for the month.
June saw several countries grappling with unprecedented heatwaves, as well as devastating floods and storms.
According to an analysis from Climate Central, a group of independent scientists and communicators based in the United States, over 60% of the global population experienced extreme heat during June 16-24, and climate change makes it at least three times more likely.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), northwest India experienced its highest June temperatures since 1901.
India, which endured one of its most scorching and prolonged heatwaves, documented over 40,000 suspected cases of heatstroke and more than 100 heat-related fatalities. The extreme heat strained the water supply and electricity grids, leading to a severe water shortage in Delhi.
According to the IMD, 11 states experienced 20 to 38 days of heatwaves—up to four times the typical number of such days—from April to June. The temperature soared above 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of Rajasthan, and nighttime temperatures remained around 35 degrees Celsius in numerous areas.
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