Earth Sets Record for Hottest Years Amid Climate Crisis
In a groundbreaking announcement, researchers from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service revealed that August 2024 was officially the warmest month on record globally, matching the record set in August 2023. The average surface air temperature surged to 16.82°C, marking a staggering 0.71°C increase above the 1991-2020 August average. This alarming trend highlights a significant shift in our planet's climate, with the global average temperature consistently rising year after year.
The concept of 'global average temperature' serves as a vital metric, providing a single value that represents the combined temperatures across all regions of the Earth, both land and sea. This measurement is derived from an extensive network of instruments, including satellites and thousands of weather stations worldwide, which meticulously track temperature data. Notably, some of these stations are strategically positioned on buoys and ocean vessels, contributing crucial sea surface temperature data.
According to the Copernicus service, the global average temperature for the 12-month period from September 2023 to August 2024 reached unprecedented levels, being 0.76°C above the 1992-2020 average and a staggering 1.64°C above the pre-industrial average of 1850-1900. This data underscores a concerning trend: August 2024 marked the 13th month in a 14-month span where the global average surface air temperature exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
As scientists analyze the data, they note that the temperature anomaly for the first eight months of 2024 was recorded at 0.70°C above the 1991-2020 average, the highest anomaly for this period ever documented. The term 'temperature anomaly' refers to the difference between observed temperatures and a long-term average, serving as a critical indicator of climate change. If 2024 is to avoid surpassing 2023 in warmth, the average anomaly for the remaining months must decrease by at least 0.30 degrees Celsius—a feat that has never been achieved in the service's historical data. This suggests that 2024 is on track to become the warmest year on record, further emphasizing the urgent need for climate action.
