The world has now marked one full year of back-to-back monthly heat records, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service announced on Wednesday. It said last month was the hottest May in recorded history — the 12th consecutive month in which the monthly high temperature record was broken.
It was also the 11th consecutive month where the global average temperature was at least 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average. If that trend continues, it would mean the world is passing a major climate change milestone.
May’s average temperature was 1.52 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, Copernicus reported, while the global average temperature from June 2023 to May 2024 was 1.63 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
The pre-industrial average refers to the period before there was a sharp increase in emissions of greenhouse gases, which trap heat from the sun within the Earth’s atmosphere and warm the planet. Experts have long warned that keeping average global temperatures no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above that mark is critical to reduce the risk of rampant damage caused by rising global temperatures. As the planet warms, the heat leads to more precipitation and melting sea ice, fueling extreme weather conditions that can result in shifting coastlines, agricultural issues, mass migration and harmful health consequences.
Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said that the 12-month streak “is shocking but not surprising,” and that while the streak will likely see an interruption at some point, “the overall signature of climate change remains.”
