The world has just witnessed the hottest April on record, marking an unprecedented 11-month streak of record-breaking temperatures, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Since June 2023, each month has been the warmest of its respective month in recorded history. This ongoing trend has culminated in the past 12 months being the warmest year-long period ever, with an average temperature 1.61°C above the pre-industrial levels of 1850-1900.
The consistent rise in temperatures, fueled by greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbated by natural phenomena like El Niño, is pushing the planet dangerously close to surpassing the critical 1.5°C warming limit set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. This threshold is deemed necessary to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change, including extreme heat, flooding, and irreversible ecosystem damage.
Recent extremes, such as record sea surface temperatures and deadly heatwaves, like the one in the Sahel region, have prompted scientists to explore whether a tipping point in the climate system has been reached. Experts like Hayley Fowler from Newcastle University argue that the battle to keep global warming below 1.5°C may already be lost, stressing the urgent need for drastic reductions in CO2 emissions to avoid exceeding even the 2°C limit.