As the world grapples with climate change and soaring temperatures, a worrying statistic has come to light - last month was the hottest June ever recorded on earth, according to the European Union's climate agency. Not just that, June also became the 12th consecutive month to surpass the 1.5 degrees celsius threshold for global warming.
The last month was 0.14 degrees warmer than June 2023, said EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) report. The figures from the EU's climate agency highlight that each month over the past year has consistently broken records for unprecedented heat, making it the hottest respective month ever recorded on the planet. While it is an unusual phenomenon, a similar streak of monthly global temperature records happened previously in 2015-2016.
The 1.5 degrees global warming mark was internationally accepted in the 2015 Paris agreement, where the world leaders of over 200 nations agreed to limit the increase in global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels to reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.
According to C3S Director Carlo Buontempo, the record-breaking temperatures in the last one year point to 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," he said in a statement.
The new concerning figures also point out that 2024 could surpass 2023 as the hottest year ever recorded, said a report by news agency Reuters.
According to Zeke Hausfather, a research scientist at US non-profit Berkeley Earth, there is an approximately 95% chance that 2024 beats 2023 to be the warmest year since global surface temperature records began in the mid-1800s.
The soaring temperatures across the globe brought with them devastating consequences. Over 1,300 people reportedly died during Hajj this year, said Saudi Arabia.
India reported over 40,000 cases of suspected heat stroke and over 100 heat-related deaths during the relentless and continuous heatwave. According to the Centre for Holistic Development, a non-governmental organization, as many as 192 homeless deaths were reported in Delhi during June 11-19.
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