Tenth consecutive monthly heat record alarms and confounds climate scientists

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Guardian or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Global surface temperatures in March hit a record high, 0.1C above the previous record for the month set in 2016, and 1.68C above the pre-industrial average
• This marks the 10th consecutive monthly record in a warming trend that has exceeded all previous records, with average global temperatures over the past 12 months reaching 1.58C above pre-industrial levels

🔭 The context: Scientists have been surprised by the sharp increase in global temperatures, which have been rising at a rate of 0.3C per decade over the past 15 years
• This acceleration has sparked concerns about the possible exacerbation of global warming, despite the factors like El Niño, reduced pollution, and solar activity being considered

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The current warming trend is challenging the limits set by the Paris climate agreement, briefly exceeding the 1.5C target
• It raises the alarm about the possibility of a fundamentally altered climate system and emphasizes the urgent need for substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to prevent further warming.

⏭️ What's next: The ongoing trend of record-breaking global temperatures may lead to uncharted territory if it does not stabilize soon, suggesting that the climate system could be experiencing fundamental changes sooner than expected
• This situation underscores the critical importance of addressing fossil fuel emissions to mitigate climate change.

💬 One quote: "It’s humbling, and a bit worrying, to admit that no year has confounded climate scientists’ predictive capabilities more than 2023 has," said Gavin Schmidt, the director of Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

📈 One stat: Global surface temperatures in March were 1.68C higher than the pre-industrial average.

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