The average global temperature has been 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era for 12 successive months, according to the new data issued by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
It was the hottest June on record for the globe and the 13th month to set a monthly temperature record.
According to Copernicus Climate Change Service ERA5 data, the month was 1.50°C above the estimated June average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period. This is the 12th consecutive month to reach or break the 1.5°C threshold.
The global-average temperature for the past 12 month period (July 2023 – June 2024) is 1.64°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average, according to the ERA5 dataset.
As per the official statement, the sea surface temperature (SST) averaged for June 2024 over 60°S–60°N was 20.85°C, the highest value on record for the month.
“This is the fifteenth month in a row that the SST has been the warmest in the ERA5 data record for the respective month of the year” it said.
“These latest figures from the Copernicus Climate Change Service unfortunately highlight that we will be exceeding the 1.5°C level on a temporary basis with increasing frequency, on a monthly basis.” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to keep long-term global average surface temperature well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C by the end of this century.
The scientific community has repeatedly warned that warming of more than 1.5°C risks unleashing far more severe climate change impacts and extreme weather and every fraction of a degree of warming matters.
“June witnessed widespread and prolonged heatwaves in many countries, with major impacts on all aspects of people’s life. This was even before the traditional peak of the northern hemisophere summer, which will undoubtedly see more extreme heat” said Celeste Saulo.
Copernicus Climate Change Service is implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on behalf of the European Commission with funding from the EU. It routinely publishes monthly climate bulletins.
“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, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
