- May was hotter than any on record for more than 80 years
- Experts deliver warning about need to address increasing temperatures
- Record temperatures seen now for a year
Climate experts have warned about the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the climate of the world after more global high temperatures were recorded last month.
Last month was the hottest May seen globally since 1940 and was the 12th month in a row that was the warmest for the respective month of the year, according to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Last month was also 1.52°C above the estimated May average for the 1850-1900 pre-industrial reference period.
But Copernicus notes that, while unusual, a similar streak of monthly global temperature records was recorded in 2015/2016.
High temperatures
The global average surface air temperature in May was 15.91°C, which was 0.65°C above the 1991-2020 average for May and 0.19°C above the previous high set in May 2020. The string of record-breaking monthly temperatures is reflected in the average temperature for the past 12 months (June 2023 – May 2024), which is also the highest on record, at 0.75°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.63°C above the pre-industrial average.
The average sea surface temperature (SST) for May 2024 over 60°S–60°N was 20.93°C, the highest value on record for the month. May was the 14th consecutive month that the SST has been the warmest in the ERA5 data record for the respective month of the year.
This follows previous months, as reported here.
Climate alarm
“The climate continues to alarm us – the last 12 months have broken records like never before – caused primarily by our greenhouse gas emissions and an added boost from the El Niño event in the tropical Pacific,” said Copernicus deputy director Samantha Burgess.
“Until we reach net-zero global emissions the climate will continue to warm, will continue to break records, and will continue to produce more ever more extreme weather events. If we choose to continue to add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere then 2023/4 will soon look like a cool year, in a similar way to how 2015/6 now appears.”
