According to the European Union’s climate change watchdog, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), our planet just hit its hottest April ever, and each of the past 11 months has set a new heat record. This was an unprecedented series of events.
The report released on Wednesday highlights that each month since June 2023 has been the hottest on record.
changes in the climate system
In its latest monthly report, C3S reported that the average global temperature over the past 12 months, including April of this year, was the highest on record, 1.61 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average from 1850 to 1900.
Recent extreme temperatures, including an extended period of record sea surface temperatures, have led scientists to investigate the possibility that human actions have pushed the climate system to a critical tipping point.
“I think a lot of scientists have asked the question, could there be a change in the climate system,” said Julian Nicholas, senior climate scientist at C3S.
Recent El Nino phenomenon
Although greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels are the main cause of climate change, recent natural El Niño events that cause surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean to warm are also contributing to rising temperatures.
“El Niño reached its peak at the beginning of the year, and sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific are now returning to neutrality,” Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo said.
“But while temperature fluctuations associated with natural cycles like El Niño come and go, the extra energy trapped in the oceans and atmosphere due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases is increasing global temperatures. We’ll keep pushing towards the record.”
Widespread impact of April’s record heat
The effects of climate change were evident in extreme weather events in April, including a heat wave in the Sahel that led to thousands of deaths.
Newcastle University climatologist Hayley Fowler pointed to the urgency of the situation regarding global warming limits set in international agreements. “At what point do we declare that we have lost the battle to keep temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius? My personal opinion is that we have already lost that battle and we must keep temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius. “We need to think seriously about reducing emissions as quickly as possible,” she said.
The goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius was set at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2015, but this threshold is set by climate change-related challenges such as extreme heat, severe flooding, and irreversible damage to ecosystems. Scientists argue that the most devastating effects can be prevented.
Technically, the 1.5°C target has not been achieved, as it refers to the long-term average global temperature, but some experts believe that it is no longer possible to achieve this goal, and the goal calls for more aggressive reductions in CO2 emissions in order to minimize excess emissions.
record ocean heat
According to a recent analysis by the BBC, the world’s oceans have been setting new heat records every day for the past year.
Professor Mike Meredith, from the British Antarctic Survey, said: “The fact that all this heat is flowing into the ocean, and that it is actually warming even faster than we thought in some ways, is a huge “It’s a cause for concern.”
“These are real signs that the environment is moving into territory that we really don’t want, and there will be serious consequences if we continue in this direction.”
Fourth global coral bleaching event
The latest coral bleaching event, the fourth confirmed global phenomenon of its kind, is currently underway and is having a major impact on coral reefs around the world. This ongoing phenomenon has been observed since early 2023 and has affected more than 54% of the world’s coral reefs, with the situation worsening to the point where it could become the largest bleaching event ever recorded. there is.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) monitors bleaching events through its Coral Reef Monitoring Program, and widespread heat stress has been recorded across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean basins.
Coral bleaching has been particularly severe in areas such as the Great Barrier Reef, where high levels of bleaching have occurred simultaneously in all regions for the first time in history.
This widespread bleaching has significant impacts not only on marine biodiversity, but also on the economies and food security of local communities that depend on these ecosystems. The global economic value of coral reefs is enormous, estimated at $2.7 trillion annually, supporting industries such as tourism and fishing.
Read more about C3S’s report on record-breaking April heat here.
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