The world has just experienced its hottest April on record, according to Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service. This marks 11 consecutive months of unprecedented global temperatures, with a strong chance that 2024 could surpass 2023 as the warmest year on record.
Last month was 1.58 degrees Celsius warmer than the average April in the pre-industrial era and 0.67 degrees above the average April between 1991 and 2020. The impacts have been stark, with deadly heat waves in Asia, shriveled rice fields in Vietnam, and temperatures reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit in India.
Global ocean heat also reached record-breaking levels for the 13th consecutive month, with surface temperatures reaching 21.04 degrees Celsius, the highest on record for any April. This has devastating effects on marine systems, including a mass coral bleaching event that scientists say could be the worst on record.
The long-term trend of global warming, mainly caused by humans burning fossil fuels, is driving the unprecedented heat, boosted by El Niño, a natural climate pattern. While El Niño is weakening, the world is still experiencing record-breaking heat, with a 66% chance that 2024 will be the hottest year on record.
Scientists warn that even if temperatures fall out of record territory in the next few months, the world is still on track for catastrophic warming of close to 3 degrees. The increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases will continue to push the global temperature towards new records, says Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus.
The current heat streak is a clear and alarming signal of accelerating climate change, and countries must take action to restrict global heating to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels to avoid devastating consequences.
By Bernice Adjei Kodie
