Summer 2024 sets new global heat records – report

The summer of 2024 has set new global temperature records, according to data released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

From June to August, global average temperatures reached 0.69°C above the 1991-2020 average, surpassing the previous record of 0.66°C set in 2023, according to the Service.

Europe experienced its hottest summer ever, with temperatures 1.54°C above average, exceeding the previous record of 1.34°C from 2022.

August 2024 was tied with August 2023 as the warmest August globally, with an average surface air temperature of 16.82°C, 0.71°C above the average. This marked the 13th time in 14 months that global average surface air temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, C3S reported.

The 12-month period from September 2023 to August 2024 was also the warmest on record, at 0.76°C above average and 1.64°C above pre-industrial levels.

Year-to-date (January to August 2024), the global average temperature anomaly is 0.70°C above the average, making it increasingly likely that 2024 will become the warmest year on record, according to Copernicus.

Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, cautioned, “The extreme temperature-related events we’ve seen this summer will become more intense and have more devastating consequences for both people and the planet unless we take urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

News.Az