New Delhi: In a striking development, August 2024 has tied with August 2023 as the hottest August on record globally. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the average surface air temperature reached 16.82°C, which is 0.71°C above the average August temperature from 1991 to 202012.
This marks the 13th time in the past 14 months that global temperatures have exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, a critical threshold set by the Paris Agreement2. The data also indicates that 2024 is on track to become the hottest year ever recorded, with the average temperature from January to August being the highest on record for this period2.
Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, emphasized the urgency of addressing climate change, noting that the extreme temperatures experienced this summer highlight the increasing severity of climate impacts2. Without significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, these trends are likely to continue, leading to more severe and destructive climate events2.
