New Data Reveals Shocking Heatwave: 12 Months of Record-Breaking Temperatures, UN Warns of Dire Consequences

Unprecedented Heatwave: A New Reality

Data from Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service, reveals that the Earth has experienced 12 consecutive months of record-breaking temperatures. Each month from June 2023 to May 2024 surpassed previous heat records. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need to address human-induced climate change.

Carlo Buontempo, the director of Copernicus, emphasized that this streak of unprecedented heat is both shocking and expected due to ongoing fossil fuel pollution. He warned that unless emissions are drastically reduced, these record temperatures will soon be considered relatively cool.

Coinciding with the release of this data, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres delivered a passionate speech in New York. He labeled fossil fuel companies as the “godfathers of climate chaos” and urged all countries to ban advertising their products.

Guterres stressed the critical need for immediate action to control the climate crisis, warning that humanity is “playing Russian roulette with our planet.” He called for a decisive shift away from fossil fuels to avoid reaching dangerous climate tipping points.

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Global Climate Commitments at Risk

As temperatures continue to rise, global climate commitments are increasingly “hanging by a thread,” according to Guterres. The Copernicus data indicates that each month since July 2023 has been at least 1.5 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels, a critical threshold set by the Paris Agreement.

The average global temperature over the past year was 1.63 degrees above pre-industrial levels. This breach is a clear warning signal that the world is not on track to meet its climate goals, as highlighted by climate experts.

Richard Allan, a climate professor at the University of Reading in the UK, described the situation as a harbinger of dangerous climate impacts looming on the horizon. The western US, currently experiencing its first heat wave of the summer, is a stark reminder of the destructive potential of extreme heat.

Impacts of rising temperatures have been felt globally:

• Dozens have died in India from temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius.
• Southeast Asia has seen deaths, school closures, and damaged crops.
• In Mexico, howler monkeys have succumbed to the intense heat.

Extreme Weather: A Glimpse into the Future

Hotter air and oceans are fueling heavier rainfall and destructive storms worldwide. Nations such as the United States, Brazil, Kenya, and the United Arab Emirates have faced severe weather events this year, illustrating the growing impact of climate change.

Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, noted that the recent heat provides a window into the future with extreme conditions challenging human survivability. He emphasized the importance of understanding that every fraction of a degree of warming increases the risk of deadly heat.

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Guterres compared humanity’s impact on the planet to the meteor that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. He warned that we are “the meteor,” causing our own destruction through relentless environmental damage.

Despite predictions of a temporary decline in record-breaking temperatures due to the weakening El Niño phenomenon, the long-term trend of rising temperatures persists. Buontempo cautioned that while the sequence of record-breaking months may pause, the overall pattern of climate change remains unaltered.

Urgent Call to Action

Guterres referenced new data from the World Meteorological Organization, which predicts a nearly 86% chance that at least one of the years between 2024 and 2028 will break the hottest-year record set in 2023. This underscores the urgency for global action.

The WMO also estimated a nearly 50% chance that global average temperatures over the next five years will exceed 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. This would push the world closer to breaching the critical limit set by the Paris Agreement.

Guterres placed the blame for the climate crisis squarely on fossil fuel companies, accusing them of profiting from taxpayer-funded subsidies while distorting the truth and deceiving the public. He called for a ban on fossil fuel advertisements, similar to bans on tobacco advertising.

He urged world leaders to take immediate and substantial actions, including drastic cuts in emissions and an end to new coal projects. Guterres called for wealthy nations to quit coal by 2030, reduce oil and gas use by 60% by 2035, and increase financial support to the most vulnerable countries.

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He concluded by warning against a future where the wealthy are protected in air-conditioned bubbles, while the majority suffer from lethal weather in uninhabitable lands. The battle for a liveable planet, he said, will be won or lost in this decade.