According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) of the European Union (EU) on May 8, the world has just experienced the hottest April on record since the C3S dataset was established in 1940.
C3S reports that this is the 11th consecutive month that has set a global high-temperature record (from June 2023 to the present).
“While temperature changes are related to natural cycles like El Niño that come and go, the excess energy retained in the oceans and atmosphere due to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases will continue to push global temperatures to new record levels,” forecasted Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S.
Vehicles traveling on the road in hot weather in Bhubaneswar, India on May 2. (Photo: REUTERS)
Climate scientist Hayley Fowler from Newcastle University (UK) noted that the latest data indicates that the world is likely to fall short of the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels (1850-1900).
According to her, humanity has lost the battle to achieve this goal and must now seriously consider preventing the temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius and reducing emissions as quickly as possible.
The 1.5-degree Celsius target is a level that scientists believe will help avoid the worst consequences of global warming, such as deadly heatwaves, floods, and irreparable loss of ecosystems.
On the same day, May 8, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency of Indonesia (BMKG) reported that last month was the hottest April in the past 40 years. According to BMKG, the temperature in April 2024 was nearly 1 degree Celsius higher compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, South Korea also recorded its warmest April since 1973. According to Yonhap News Agency, the average temperature for this month was 14.9 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record of 14.7 degrees Celsius set in 1998.
The Korea Meteorological Administration also noted that the average temperature in the country has increased by 0.8 degrees Celsius over the past 51 years. Japan has also just experienced its warmest April in nearly 130 years.
