New Delhi: The month of June recorded as the hottest of the year as in last month, the European Unions climate change monitoring service reported. This continues a trend of unusually high temperatures, leading some scientists to predict that 2024 could become the hottest year globally since records began. According to the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), since June 2023 has been the hottest of its kind compared to previous years.2024 hotter than ever Recent data indicates that 2024 might surpass 2023 as the hottest year on record, driven by human-induced climate change and the natural weather pattern known as El Nino, which have both contributed to record-breaking temperatures this year.Zeke Hausfather, a research scientist at Berkeley Earth, estimates a high likelihood that 2024 will surpass 2023 as the warmest year since temperature records began in the mid-1800s.The changing climate has already had devastating effects worldwide in 2024. More than 1,000 people died from extreme heat during the haj pilgrimage last month. Heat-related deaths were also reported in New Delhi, which experienced an unusually long heatwave and among tourists in Greece.Prediction of climate expert According per media reports, Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College Londons Grantham Institute, indicated a strong likelihood that 2024 could break the record as the warmest year worldwide. She underscored that while El Nino is a natural event beyond human control, actions like reducing the burning of fossil fuels can make a difference.El Nino, which warms the surface waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, typically raises global average temperatures. Although its impact has diminished in recent months, the world is currently experiencing neutral conditions, with cooler La Nina conditions expected to develop later this year.Greenhouse gases drive rising temperaturesThe primary driver of climate change is the emission of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels. Despite international pledges to reduce global warming, countries have not yet collectively succeeded in cutting these emissions, resulting in steadily rising temperatures over the past few decades.According to C3S, the average global temperature in the 12 months ending in June was the highest ever recorded for such a period, exceeding temperatures in the pre-industrial period from 1850 to 1900 by 1.64 degrees Celsius.
