Amid the threat of the climate crisis and people dealing with unpredictable weather, March has emerged as the tenth consecutive hottest month on record.
The month set a new monthly record for global heat on Earth, with temperatures in the world’s air and oceans reaching all-time highs, according to the European Union climate agency, Copernicus.
Heat records have been broken every month since last June
According to the Copernicus data, the average temperature in March 2024 stood at 14.14 degrees Celsius (57.9 degrees Fahrenheit), which exceeded by a tenth of a degree the previous record, set in 2016.
Since last June, heat records have been exceeded monthly, with marine heatwaves across the oceans playing a significant role.
According to the scientists, the record-breaking heat at this time was not surprising given the strong El Nino, a climatic event that warms the central Pacific and causes changes in worldwide weather patterns.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Woodwell Climate Research Center scientist Jennifer Francis stated, “But its combination with the non-natural marine heat waves made these records so breathtaking.”
Francis stated that since El Nino is fading, the average world temperature should fall now.
If temperatures do not fall by the end of the year, climate change might move “into uncharted territory”
Climate scientists believe that human-induced climate change, caused by methane and carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of natural gas, oil, and coal, is the primary cause of record heat.
“The trajectory will not change until concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop rising,” said Francis, adding, “which means we must stop burning fossil fuels, stop deforestation, and grow our food more sustainably as quickly as possible. Until then, expect more broken records.”
A renowned scientist told the BBC that if temperatures do not fall by the end of the year, climate change might move “into uncharted territory”.
The expert issued the warning following March’s record-breaking heat. This new record raised concerns among scientists that the planet is entering a new period of rapid climate change.
Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told BBC News, “By the end of the summer, if we’re still looking at record-breaking temperatures in the North Atlantic or elsewhere, then we really have kind of moved into uncharted territory.”