Brussels: June 2024 Hottest on Record, 2024 Set to Break Global Temperature Record

Brussels: Last month was the hottest June on record, according to the EU’s climate change monitoring service. The streak of exceptional temperatures has some scientists predicting that 2024 could be the world’s hottest recorded year.

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that every month since June 2023 has ranked as the planet’s hottest since records began. The latest data suggest that 2024 could surpass 2023 as the hottest year on record due to human-caused climate change and the El Nino natural weather phenomenon.

Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather from Berkeley Earth estimated a 95% chance that 2024 will be the warmest year since global temperature records began in the mid-1800s. The impact of the changing climate has already been felt around the world in 2024, with more than 1,000 people dying in fierce heat during the haj pilgrimage last month.

Despite the natural El Nino phenomenon warming surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, causing a rise in global average temperatures, current neutral conditions are expected to transition to cooler La Nina conditions later in the year. Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels remain the main cause of climate change.

While promises have been made to reduce emissions and curb global warming, collective efforts have not been sufficient to halt the steady rise in temperatures over the decades. The world’s average temperature in the 12 months leading up to June was 1.64 degrees Celsius above the average in the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900, as reported by C3S.

As the planet continues to experience record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather events, the urgency to address climate change becomes ever more pressing.