The world has just experienced its hottest ever first eleven days of June. As Sky News climate reporter Victoria Seabrook writes, for the first time ever, Earth’s average air temperature was more than 1.5C hotter than before industrial times, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The 1.5C temperature threshold is a key indicator used to track global heating.
Scientists and all governments have agreed in the Paris climate accord to try to limit permanent warming to no more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels in order to stave off even worse climate disruption via things like heat, drought, flooding and sea levels.
This temporary breach does not mean the world will forever be that much hotter, but is an indication of how quickly we are approaching that point.
A heatwave in India has reportedly left 166 people dead in just a few days, according to state officials. While northern India is known for sweltering heat in the summer months, temperatures over the past week have been consistently above average, with highs reported of 43.5C (110F).
Source: Sky News. Full story here
Related: India heatwave: Nearly 170 dead as northern states swelter amid soaring temperatures
Photo: Credit Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
