New data from Copernicus, the European Union’s (EU) climate monitor, reveals a concerning trend: the planet has experienced a shocking 12-month streak of record-breaking heat from June 2023 to May 2024, each month ranked as the hottest ever recorded.
The worrying pattern is attributed to human-caused climate change, warns Carlo Buontempo, Copernicus’s director. He emphasizes that these temperatures will become the new norm without significant reductions in fossil fuel emissions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoes these concerns, urging countries to ban fossil fuel advertisements and take decisive action to combat climate change. “We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell,” he said.
Guterres warns of dire consequences if immediate steps aren’t taken, emphasizing the need to curb emissions and support vulnerable nations. The recent heatwave across the globe underscores the urgency of addressing this crisis.