Europe’s climate monitor recently announced that March has been the hottest on record, marking the tenth consecutive month of historic heat. Sea surface temperatures have also hit a shocking new high, setting off alarm bells in the climate science community. Since June 2023, every month has surpassed its own “hottest ever” tag, with March 2024 being no exception. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that global temperatures in March were 1.68 degrees Celsius above the average recorded between 1850-1900, the reference period for the pre-industrial era. While the March temperature record was only broken by 0.1°C, the broader trend of rising temperatures is more concerning, according to Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S.
The trend of rising temperatures was evident in massive swathes of the Earth experiencing above-average temperatures in March, from Africa to Greenland, South America, and even Antarctica. March also marked the tenth consecutive month of setting new heat records, culminating in the hottest 12-month period on record – temperatures were 1.58°C above pre-industrial averages. While the 1.5°C warming limit set in the Paris Agreement of 2015 has not been breached yet, it is clear that we are approaching a critical threshold.
The oceans’ surface temperatures also hit a new record in March, following a previous record set in February. The increase in ocean temperatures is particularly concerning as oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and play a crucial role in regulating the planet’s temperature. Hotter oceans lead to more moisture in the atmosphere, resulting in erratic weather patterns such as strong winds and heavy rainfall. This dynamic has already been observed in countries like Russia, Australia, Brazil, and France, where extreme weather events have become more frequent and intense.
Scientists have noted that the cyclical El Nino climate pattern, which typically warms the sea surface in the Pacific Ocean, weakened in March. However, this alone does not explain the unprecedented spikes in temperatures witnessed in the past year. Projections for the coming months suggest that temperatures will remain above average, raising concerns about the likelihood of more temperature records being shattered. The ongoing debate among scientists about the unexpected heat levels in recent years has led to questions about the stability of the climate system and whether humanity is facing a phase change in the Earth’s climate.
As climate records continue to break, there is a growing consensus among scientists that urgent action is needed to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Despite repeated warnings from the scientific community, levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide – the primary human-caused greenhouse gases – have continued to rise. The need to transition to a net-zero emission economy has never been clearer, with scientists emphasizing the importance of reducing emissions by almost half this decade to meet the targets set in the Paris Agreement. The consequences of failing to act swiftly are dire, with Burgess emphasizing that temperatures will continue to rise until we achieve net zero emissions.
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