Last month was officially the hottest June on record, figures reveal

In Britain, June was a 'month of contrasts' with drizzle and a late burst of heat. But globally, Earth sizzled its way through the hottest June on record, according to scientists at the EU's climate change programme. Last month was not only the hottest month of the year so far, but also the 13th consecutive record-breaking month.

In other words, every month since June 2023 has been the hottest ever recorded for that particular month – signifying an ongoing warming trend. Experts point to greenhouse gas emissions as the cause and warn of an ongoing 'climate disaster'. 

According to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the global average temperature for June 2024 was 61.98°F (16.66°C). This is 0.25°F (0.14°C) above the temperature of the previous warmest June – June 2023. Worryingly, this is also 1.2°F (0.67°C) warmer than the 1991-2020 global average for June. 'June marks the 13th consecutive month of record-breaking global temperatures, and the 12th in a row above 1.5°C with respect to pre-industrial,' said Carlo Buontempo, C3S director.

'This is more than a statistical oddity and it highlights a large and continuing shift in our climate. Even if this specific streak of extremes ends at some point, we are bound to see new records being broken as the climate continues to warm. This is inevitable, unless we stop adding greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and the oceans,' he added. C3S, managed by the European Commission, looks at temperature readings based on a variety of platforms and instruments, from weather stations to weather balloons and satellites.

The department's readings refer to the average air temperature for the whole planet over the whole year – so lower than a single typically 'hot' temperature reading. According to C3S, June 2024 was 2.7°F (1.5°C) above the estimated June average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period. What's more, the global average temperature for the past 12 months (July 2023 to June 2024) is now the highest on record.

The past 12 months have been 1.36°F (0.76°C) above the average between 1991 and 2020 and 2.95°F (1.64°C) above the pre-industrial average of 1850 to 1900, the department said. Looking at Europe separately from the rest of the world, temperatures last month were 2.82°F (1.57°C) above the 1991-2020 average for June – making it the joint-second warmest June for Europe. European temperatures were most above average over southeast regions and Turkey, but near or below average over western Europe, Iceland and northwestern Russia.

Outside of Europe, temperatures were most above average over eastern Canada, the western U.S. and Mexico, Brazil, northern Siberia, the Middle East, northern Africa and western Antarctica. CS3 also revealed that the the global average sea surface temperature (another metric that measures heat close to the ocean's surface) was 20.85°C last month, the highest value on record for the month of June. This is the fifteenth month in a row that the sea surface temperature has been the warmest in the data record for the respective month of the year.

Responding to the new record for June, environmental non-profit Greenpeace said 'polluters should pay the mounting bill' for extreme weather. It points the finger at the fossil fuel industry, which emit greenhouse gases such as CO2 and methane by burning fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil. 'The fossil fuel industry is causing widespread and irreversible loss and damage by continuing its operations while ignoring climate impacts,' said Avinash Kumar Chanchal at Greenpeace South Asia.

'Our communities are already bearing the worst consequences of heatwaves, including health risks, deaths and livelihood crises, especially among the most vulnerable. Marginalised groups, including women, children, senior citizens, low-income communities, labourers and outdoor workers, suffer the most. These people often do not have the money or resources to cope with such a climate disaster,' he added. 

Looking specifically at the UK, Brits saw 'below average' temperatures in June despite a late heatwave, the Met Office revealed last week. In the UK specifically, June was a 'month of contrasts' for many, with a cool first half of the month offset by warmth later in the month, with rainfall also in relatively short supply, especially in the south.

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