2024 Set to Be World’s Hottest Year After Record-Breaking June
2024 is poised to be the hottest year ever recorded, driven by human-caused climate change and the El Nino phenomenon, scientists report. The unprecedented heatwave continues to affect lives globally, emphasizing the urgent need for climate action.
Last month was the hottest June on record, according to the EU’s climate change monitoring service, marking a continuous streak of exceptional temperatures. This trend suggests that 2024 may surpass previous records, becoming the hottest year ever documented.
Record Heatwaves Affect Global Communities
Muslim pilgrims in Mina, Saudi Arabia, had to use umbrellas to shield themselves from the intense heat during the Satan stoning ritual of the annual haj pilgrimage. This image, captured by REUTERS, underscores the extreme weather conditions faced worldwide.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that every month since June 2023 has ranked as the planet’s hottest for its respective month. This 13-month streak is unprecedented, highlighting the severe impact of climate change.
Read More:U.S. and Europe Urge Hezbollah to Stand Down
Scientists attribute this alarming trend to human activities and the El Nino phenomenon. Zeke Hausfather, a research scientist at Berkeley Earth, estimates a 95% chance that 2024 will surpass 2023 as the warmest year since global temperature records began in the mid-1800s.
Catastrophic Consequences of Rising Temperatures
The extreme heat has already led to devastating consequences worldwide. Over 1,000 people perished during the haj pilgrimage due to the fierce heat. In New Delhi, a prolonged heatwave claimed numerous lives, and similar tragedies occurred among Greek tourists.
Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, emphasized the likelihood of 2024 being the hottest year on record. She stressed the need to address human-caused climate change, stating, “El Nino is a naturally occurring phenomenon that will always come and go. We can’t stop El Nino, but we can stop burning oil, gas, and coal.”
The natural El Nino phenomenon, which warms the surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, has contributed to the rise in global temperatures. Although El Nino’s effects have recently subsided, the world is currently in neutral conditions, with cooler La Nina conditions expected later this year.
Urgent Need for Climate Action
Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels remain the primary cause of climate change. Despite global promises to curb warming, collective efforts to reduce these emissions have fallen short, causing temperatures to climb steadily over the decades.
C3S reported that the average global temperature for the 12 months ending in June was the highest on record, at 1.64 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average. This data underscores the urgent need for decisive action to mitigate climate change.
The record-breaking temperatures of 2024 highlight the critical importance of addressing climate change. Without significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the world will continue to experience increasingly severe and frequent heatwaves, with catastrophic consequences for communities worldwide.
In summary, the data from C3S and statements from scientists like Hausfather and Otto underscore the urgent need for global action to combat climate change. The extreme heat events of 2024 serve as a stark reminder of the human and environmental toll of inaction.