February 2024 has been declared the warmest February on record globally, the ninth consecutive month of record-breaking temperatures. Scientists from various climate monitoring agencies, including the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Revealed the data.
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Data from billions of readings collected from satellites, weather stations, aircraft, and ships revealed that February 2024 was 0.12 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous record set in 2016. This is the ninth month in a row of record-breaking temperatures.
The average global temperature for February was 1.77 degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial average for the month, showing the deviation from historical norms.
This level of warming shows threats to ecosystems, weather patterns, and human societies worldwide. The trend of rising temperatures is above individual months, with the 12-month average temperature reaching 1.56 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Not limited to air temperatures, ocean temperatures also reached highs in February 2024. The average global sea surface temperature exceeded the previous record set in August 2023, indicating persistent warming of oceanic regions.
This has implications for marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and marine life. While natural climate phenomena such as El Niño contribute to short-term temperature variations, human-caused greenhouse gas emissions remain the primary driver of global warming.
The continued burning of fossil fuels has led to an increase in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases.
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The warming of ocean waters has triggered mass coral bleaching events, a severe threat to coral reef ecosystems. Coral bleaching, driven by elevated sea surface temperatures, can lead to coral mortality.
The climate crisis necessitates urgent action from governments, industries, and individuals. The Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius, requires reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and the transition to renewable energy sources.
February 2024 surpassed all previous benchmarks, registering a 1.77 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average for the month.
The global average temperature over the past twelve months, spanning from March 2023 to February 2024, reached heights, standing at 1.56 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Intensified heatwaves caused various regions, from western Australia to southeast Asia, southern Africa, and South America, droughts, wildfires, and crop failures.
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European temperatures soared to 3.3 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average for February, with central and eastern Europe experiencing particularly elevated temperatures.
European winter from December to February ranked as the second warmest on record. Global sea surface temperatures reached high levels, with February 2024 setting a new record high at 21.06 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous peak in August 2023.
Ocean warming, by human-induced climate change, has severe threats to marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, fisheries, and sea-level rise.
While natural climate phenomena like El Niño contribute to temporary temperature fluctuations, the primary driver of global warming remains anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide concentrations, at their highest levels in at least two million years, continue to escalate.
International commitments, such as those outlined in the Paris Agreement, address the imperative of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to avert catastrophic consequences.
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