Last month was the warmest June on record globally, according to the European Union’s climate monitoring agency. This concludes a tumultuous six months of extreme weather events, including floods and heatwaves.

Since June 2023, each month has surpassed its previous temperature record, marking an unprecedented 13-month period of exceptional global heat, as reported by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

“This is more than a statistical oddity and it highlights a large and continuing shift in our climate,” said the service director, Carlo Buontempo.

“Even if this specific streak of extremes ends at some point, we are bound to see new records being broken as the climate continues to warm.”

It was "unavoidable" that this would occur as long as humanity persisted in releasing heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, he stated.

The global average temperature reached a new peak last month, surpassing the previous record set in June 2023. This unprecedented high occurred during a year characterized by extreme climate events.

The intense heat has affected extensive areas globally, including India, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Mexico, during the first half of the current year.

Inundation events, a phenomenon scientists have also associated with a warmer planet, resulted in substantial flooding in Kenya, China, Brazil, Afghanistan, Russia, and France.

Wildfires have caused significant devastation in Greece and Canada. Additionally, Hurricane Beryl made history last week by becoming the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, impacting several Caribbean islands in its path.

Warmer oceans

In reference to the temperature records, Julien Nicolas, a senior scientist at C3S, stated that the global rise in temperature is a contributing factor. However, it is not the sole cause.

“That was part of the factors behind the temperature records, but it was not the only one,” he told AFP.

The recent rise in ocean temperatures has reached unprecedented levels.

The Atlantic, Northern Pacific, and Indian Oceans’ recorded sea surface temperatures contributed to the global temperature increase.

Sea surface temperatures reached a significant milestone in June, marking 15 consecutive months of record-breaking highs. This unprecedented occurrence, as described by Nicolas, is particularly noteworthy and demands attention.

Approximately 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans, which absorb approximately 90% of the additional heat resulting from increased climate-warming emissions.

“What happens to the ocean surface has an important impact on the air temperature above the surface and global average temperature as well,” he said.

Nevertheless, the global climate is poised to transition into a La Nina phase, characterized by its cooling impact.

“We can expect the global (air) temperature to taper down in the next few months,” said Nicolas.

“If these record (sea surface) temperatures persist, even as La Nina conditions develop that might lead to 2024 being warmer than 2023. But it’s too early to tell,” he added.

Global air temperatures for the twelve-month period ending in June 2024 were the highest on record, according to Copernicus. The average temperature was 1.64 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The 1.5C warming limit established by 196 nations in Paris in 2015 has not yet been surpassed, as this objective is assessed over decades rather than individual years.

Last month, Copernicus released a report indicating an 80% probability that Earth’s average annual temperatures will surpass the 1.5C threshold, albeit temporarily, within the next five-year period.