 "Global heatwave continues: March 2024 breaks temperature records with more heat on the way")
In a relentless march toward unprecedented heat, March 2024 marked yet another milestone in the annals of climate change. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) revealed that the past month was the warmest March ever recorded, adding to a staggering streak of ten consecutive months where each month outpaced historical temperature norms.
The latest data from C3S paints a stark picture of the planet’s rising temperatures. March 2024 saw global average temperatures soaring to 14.14 degrees Celsius (57.9 degrees Fahrenheit), surpassing the previous record set in 2016 by a mere fraction of a degree.
This alarming increase extends beyond just one month, with the twelve-month period ending in March 2024 registering a scorching 1.58 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
On April 1, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted an increase in the number of heat wave days for the country during this year’s hot weather season, from April to June. Above-average temperatures are expected across most regions of the country, with the southern peninsula, central India, east India, and the northwestern plains anticipated to experience the greatest impact from the heat.
“Global research suggests that the 1.5 degree temperature breach is inevitable and as a result, climate extremes in form of cyclones, floods, droughts, heat waves are going to be the new normal,” said Abinash Mohanty, a climate change expert at IPE-Global and a reviewer of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s sixth assessment report (AR6) by the United Nations (UN), while speaking to Firstpost.
Impact of human activity and natural phenomena
Attributing the heat surge to a combination of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and natural climate phenomena, scientists have underscored the significant role of El Nino in amplifying global temperature patterns. “El Nino has brought extreme weather to Odisha, in the form of severe cyclones like ‘Phailin’ in 2013 and ‘Fani’ in 2019,” said Odisha-based environmental group Aurassure’s Akanksha Priyadarshini.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHowever, the overarching driver remains the unchecked release of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels.
The repercussions of this relentless warming are already unfolding worldwide.
🌬️📊#CopernicusAtmosphere forecasts show the exceptionally large-scale #SaharanDust transport across Europe.
— Copernicus ECMWF (@CopernicusECMWF) April 8, 2024
The latest episode has been leading to high PM10 concentrations at ground level for the Iberian Peninsula, and some parts of France & Germany.
▶️https://t.co/WSNMnTB0tX pic.twitter.com/nAxyu6qgv1
From devastating wildfires in Venezuela fueled by drought-stricken Amazon rainforests to crop failures and food insecurity in Southern Africa, communities are grappling with the tangible impacts of climate change. Additionally, marine ecosystems face unprecedented threats, with mass coral bleaching events looming ominously in the Southern Hemisphere.
“Droughts are expected to be more frequent in some areas, especially in Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh,” Priyadarshini told Firstpost, claiming that “crop yields are expected to fall significantly because of extreme heat by the 2040s.”
Arctic sea ice extent reached its annual maximum in March, with a monthly value slightly below average, marking the highest March extent since 2013. Antarctic sea ice extent was 20% below average, the sixth lowest extent for March in the satellite data record, continuing a series of large negative anomalies observed since 2017, observed C3S.
Scientists have repeatedly emphasised the imperative of global cooperation to achieve net-zero emissions and mitigate the worst effects of climate change.
“Estimates by Indian Labour Organisation (ILO) have suggested that the country is on the brink of losing more than 40 million jobs by 2030 due to extreme heatwaves. India will face the heat with disruptions in agricultural productivity and supply chains, an increase in water and vector-borne diseases, and will trigger migration,” said Mohanty, adding that “climate change is adding fuel to fire”.
As the planet continues to shatter temperature records with alarming regularity, the urgency to address the root causes of climate change has never been clearer. Each passing month is bringing new milestones in global heat.
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