Global temp soar: April marks warmest month on record
New Delhi: New data released on Wednesday reveals that April marked the warmest month ever recorded globally, ushering in record heat, rain, and flooding that disrupted normal life in numerous countries.
This April marks the eleventh month in a row to set a temperature record, attributed to the waning El Nino phenomenon and the ongoing effects of human-induced climate change, as reported by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) of the European Union.
The month’s average temperature stood at 15.03 degrees Celsius, surpassing the pre-industrial average (1850-1900) by 1.58 degrees Celsius. It also exceeded the April average from 1991-2020 by 0.67 degrees Celsius and the previous record from April 2016 by 0.14 degrees Celsius. Carlo Buontempo, the Director of C3S, explained: “The peak of El Nino occurred early this year, and we are now seeing a return to neutral sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific. Despite the transient nature of natural cycles like El Nino, the ongoing accumulation of greenhouse gases is causing a continuous increase in trapped energy within our oceans and atmosphere, pushing global temperatures to new heights.”
Over the last year (May 2023-April 2024), the global average temperature has reached an all-time high, being 0.73 degrees
Celsius above the 1991-2020 average and 1.61 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial average.
For the first time in recorded history, the global average temperature exceeded the 1.5 degrees Celsius mark for an entire year this past January, as noted by C3S. However, a permanent breach of this threshold, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, would indicate a long-term trend over several years.
Climate experts emphasise the necessity to cap the rise in global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to mitigate the most severe consequences of climate change.
The planet’s surface temperature has already risen by approximately 1.15 degrees Celsius from the 1850-1900 average, primarily due to escalating greenhouse gas concentrations, notably carbon dioxide and methane.
This increase in temperature is believed to be the driving force behind the unprecedented droughts, wildfires, and floods observed globally.
A study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany projects that climate-related events could inflict an annual economic loss of about USD 38 trillion by 2049, disproportionately affecting nations least responsible for these changes and least equipped to adapt.The year 2023 was recorded as the warmest in the 174-year observational history, with an average global temperature of 1.45 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial norm.
As El Nino’s influence typically peaks in its second year, scientists anticipate that 2024 might set yet another temperature record. Although El Nino is subsiding towards a neutral state, marine air temperatures remained unusually high in April, according to C3S researchers.The combined effects of the 2023-24 El Nino and anthropogenic climate change have led to extreme weather conditions worldwide.
In Asia, a severe heatwave led to school closures in the Philippines and shattered temperature records in India amid its general election, as well as in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar. The United Arab Emirates experienced its heaviest rainfall in 75 years.C3S has also reported that this April is the thirteenth consecutive month with record-high ocean temperatures.
Meteorological organisations globally, including India’s IMD, predict the onset of La Nina conditions by August-September.
While El Nino is linked to weaker monsoon winds and drier conditions in India, La Nina typically brings abundant rainfall during the monsoon. The IMD anticipates above-average rainfall for India’s 2024 monsoon season, with La Nina playing a significant role.
El Nino events occur roughly every two to seven years and last between nine to twelve months. The current El Nino, which began in June 2023, reached its peak intensity from November to January and is associated with increased rainfall in the Horn of Africa and the southern US, as well as dry and warm conditions in Southeast Asia, Australia, and southern Africa.
