The planet has just experienced its hottest summer on record for the second consecutive year, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing climate crisis.
According to new data from Copernicus, Europe’s climate change service, the summer of 2024, which spanned June to August in the Northern Hemisphere, was the hottest since global records began in 1940.
This period saw temperatures 0.69 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991 to 2020 average, surpassing last year’s previous record by a slim margin of 0.03 degrees Celsius.
The persistent rise in global temperatures is largely driven by human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, which continue to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This summer’s extreme heat has had devastating effects around the world, leading to deadly heatwaves, record-breaking wildfires, and destructive storms.
The Southern Hemisphere, despite being in its winter season, also experienced unusually high temperatures, with Australia recording its hottest August day at 41.6 degrees Celsius, while parts of Antarctica saw temperatures 50 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.
The Copernicus data highlights a troubling trend. In addition to being the hottest summer on record, the 12-month period from September 2023 to August 2024 was the warmest ever recorded.
The global average temperature during this time was 1.64 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels, surpassing the critical 1.5-degree threshold scientists have long warned about. This breach, though temporary, is an alarming indicator of the planet’s trajectory toward more severe climate impacts unless urgent action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
While natural climate patterns such as El Niño have contributed to the recent spike in temperatures, the overarching driver remains human-induced climate change.
The heat generated by El Niño, which officially ended in June, continues to linger, compounding the warming effect of emissions from human activities.
The summer of 2024, capped by the joint-hottest August on record, serves as a stark reminder of the escalating climate emergency. Without swift and decisive action to curb emissions, extreme temperature events like those witnessed this year will become even more intense and destructive, posing greater threats to both human life and the environment.
Scientists emphasize that governments must accelerate efforts to reduce planet-heating pollution to avoid more catastrophic outcomes.