Last month was the warmest June ever recorded worldwide, according to the EU's climate service Copernicus.
This is part of an alarming trend, with each of the past 13 months breaking its own heat record.
A Major Climate Shift
"This is not just a statistical anomaly. It helps highlight a major and ongoing shift in our climate," Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus, told the Danish scientific magazine Illustreret Videnskab.
"Even if this particular extreme period stops at some point, we're going to see more records being broken as the climate warms."
The heat records coincide with the El Niño weather phenomenon, which contributes to higher global temperatures. However, Copernicus researcher Julien Nicolas notes that El Niño is not the only explanation.
"That's part of the explanation, but not the only explanation," he said.
According to Buontempo, the trend is "inevitable" as long as humanity continues to use fossil fuels.
Over the past 12 months, global temperatures have been 1.64 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
This is significant in the context of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature increases to well below 2 degrees, ideally no more than 1.5 degrees, to prevent irreversible damage to nature.
Extreme Weather Events
In 2024, extreme weather has affected numerous countries.
Persistent heat waves have hit India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and the United States.
Heavy rains have caused floods in Kenya, China, Brazil, Russia, and France.
Greece and Canada have experienced extensive wildfires in the past week, while several Caribbean islands fear the consequences of the ongoing hurricane "Beryl."
Sea surface temperatures have also broken records for 15 consecutive months. El Niño is expected to transition to La Niña soon, which might lead to a drop in temperatures.
According to Copernicus, extreme weather events last year alone resulted in additional costs of approximately 13.4 billion US dollars (12.2 billion euros) in the EU.
These events have claimed 151 human lives.
