Hottest March in history was in 2024: EU climate body
The world experienced the warmest March ever due to a combined effect of El Niño and humancaused climate change, making it the 10th consecutive month since June last year to set a new temperature record, the European Union’s climate agency said on April 9.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said the average temperature of 14.14 degrees C in March was 1.68 degrees C higher than the month’s average for 1850–1900, the designated preindustrial reference period. It is 0.10 degrees C above the previous high of March 2016.
C3S said the global average temperature breached the 1.5 degrees C threshold for an entire year for the first time in January.
A permanent breach of the 1.5 degrees C limit specified in the Paris Agreement, however, refers to longterm warming over many years. According to climate scientists, countries need to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5
The rise in global average temperature is attributed to the rapidly increasing concentration of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide and methane, in the atmosphere
degrees C above the preindustrial period.
The earth’s global surface temperature has already increased by around 1.15 degrees C compared to the average in 1850–1900, a level that hasn’t been witnessed since 1.25 lakh years ago, before the most recent ice age.
The rise in global average temperature is attributed to the rapidly increasing concentration of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide and methane, in the atmosphere.
“March 2024 continues the sequence of climate records toppling in both air temperature and ocean surface temperatures, with the 10th consecutive recordbreaking month.
“The global average temperature is the highest recorded, with the past 12 months being 1.58 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Stopping further warming requires rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” said
Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S.
Globally, 2023 was the warmest year in the 174year observational record, with the global average nearsurface temperature at 1.45 degrees C above the preindustrial baseline.
The warming may set a new record in 2024 as scientists say El Niño — periodic warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean — typically has the greatest impact on global climate in the second year of its development.
The continuing, albeit weaker, El Niño and predicted abovenormal seasurface temperatures over much of the global oceans are expected to lead to abovenormal temperatures over almost all land areas until May, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said in a March update.
The India Meteorological Department has also warned of extreme heat during the AprilJune period when around a billion people are expected to exercise their franchise during the sevenphase general elections, heightening concerns about vulnerability to heat waves.