By SUMAN NAISHADHAM (Associated Press)
The European Union climate agency Copernicus reported that Earth set a new monthly record for global heat in March, marking the 10th consecutive month of breaking this record.
March 2024 had an average temperature of 14.14 degrees Celsius (57.9 degrees Fahrenheit), surpassing the previous record by a tenth of a degree, according to Copernicus data. It was also 1.68 degrees C (3 degrees F) warmer than in the late 1800s.
Since last June, the globe has continuously broken heat records each month, with marine heat waves in large areas of the world’s oceans playing a significant role.
Scientists attribute the record-breaking heat to a strong El Nino and non-natural marine heat waves that occurred during this time.
Climate Research Center scientist Jennifer Francis mentioned that the combination of these factors made the records particularly noteworthy.
As El Nino weakens, Francis anticipates that the margins by which global average temperatures are surpassed each month will decrease.
Climate scientists link most of the record heat to human-caused climate change from carbon dioxide and methane emissions resulting from the burning of fossil fuels.
Francis stressed that the trajectory will not change until concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop rising, and called for urgent actions such as ceasing the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, as well as promoting sustainable food production.
Until then, she expects more broken records.
Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world aims to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. Copernicus’ temperature data differs slightly from the Paris threshold.
Deputy director of Copernicus Samantha Burgess stated that March’s record-breaking temperature was not as exceptional as some other months in the past year that broke records by wider margins.
Burgess mentioned that although there have been even more unusual record-breaking months, the overall trajectory is concerning.
According to Copernicus data, the globe has now had 12 months with average monthly temperatures above the Paris threshold.
In March, the global sea surface temperature reached 21.07 degrees Celsius (69.93 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest monthly value on record and slightly higher than the previous month.
Burgess emphasized the need for more ambitious global action to achieve net zero emissions as soon as possible.
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