The European Climate Monitor said today that March was the hottest on record and the tenth consecutive month of record heat, with sea surface temperatures also reaching a “shocking” new high.
It is the latest red flag in a year already marked by climate extremes and rising greenhouse gas emissions, prompting fresh calls for faster action to limit global warming.
Every month since June 2023 has surpassed its “hottest ever” mark – and March 2024 was no exception.
The European Climate Change Service Copernicus (C3S) said that March globally was 1.68 degrees Celsius warmer than the average March between 1850 and 1900, the reference period for the pre-industrial era.
March’s record was only broken by 0.1C, but it is the wider trend that is more alarming, said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S.
Vast parts of the planet endured above-average temperatures in March, from parts of Africa to Greenland, South America and Antarctica.
Not only was it the tenth consecutive month to break its heat record, it was also the warmest 12-month period on the books – 1.58C above the pre-industrial average.
