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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on France24 or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: March 2025 marked another milestone in global climate disruption, with temperatures reaching historic highs globally and setting a new record for the warmest March in Europe, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service
• Global temperatures were 1.6°C above pre-industrial levels, sustaining a streak of extreme heat that began in July 2023 and continues to surpass scientific expectations
🔭 The context: Europe is warming at roughly twice the global average, and this March exceeded the previous European record from 2014 by 0.26°C
• The warming is driving erratic weather across the continent, with contrasting rainfall extremes—some areas saw record dryness, while others experienced their wettest March in decades
• Despite the recent peak of the El Niño climate cycle, global temperatures remain persistently high, raising concerns about the combined effect of anthropogenic emissions and underexplored feedback mechanisms
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Crossing and maintaining temperatures above the 1.5°C threshold threatens to accelerate extreme weather events, ecological collapse, and irreversible climate feedback loops
• The persistence of record-breaking temperatures—even as El Niño wanes—suggests that structural climate drivers, particularly fossil fuel emissions, are overwhelming natural variability
• This trend further complicates international mitigation goals under the Paris Agreement and heightens urgency for adaptation efforts
⏭️ What's next: As the planet remains locked in a prolonged heat anomaly, policymakers face increasing pressure to strengthen climate targets ahead of COP30
• Scientists are actively investigating the persistence of warming despite expected cooling phases, and the findings could reshape future climate modelling and emissions policy
• Meanwhile, regions must prepare for heightened climate volatility, from heatwaves and floods to drought-induced resource stress
💬 One quote: “We're very firmly in the grip of human-caused climate change.” – Friederike Otto, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London
📈 One stat: 1.6°C – the global average temperature anomaly in March 2025 compared to pre-industrial levels, marking one of the most extreme monthly deviations ever recorded
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