Summer 2024 Was The Hottest On Record

This year’s summer has been the world’s hottest since records began, according to the EU’s climate monitoring service.

In its monthly bulletin released last Friday (September 6), the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that temperatures exceeded those of the summer of 2023, which was previously the hottest on record.

This year, the global average temperature has been 0.7C above the 1991-2020 average. According to reports, 2024 is on track to become the warmest year on record. Certain European countries saw particularly high temperatures, with Austria and Spain experiencing their warmest summer on record. Temperatures were lower in some northern European countries, including the UK, the Republic of Ireland, and Norway.

A man filling his hat with water from a fountain and pouring it on his head in the middle of a heatwave in Greece — Imago / Alamy Stock Photo A number of countries have seen record temperatures this summer

“During the past three months of 2024, the globe has experienced the hottest June and August, the hottest day on record, and the hottest boreal summer on record,” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, said in a statement. “This string of record temperatures is increasing the likelihood of 2024 being the hottest year on record.”

Animal Agriculture and the Climate Crisis

Fossil fuels and animal agriculture are two industries that urgently need addressing if we are to have any hope of saving the planet. Despite this, the environmental conversation tends to focus solely on the former.

Animal agriculture is devastating the planet. It’s responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions (estimates vary, but it’s generally understood to contribute at least 16.5 percent of global emissions). However, emissions are only part of the problem.

One major concern about animal agriculture is its land use. Around 80 percent of agricultural land is used to raise animals (or grow crops to feed them), and farming livestock is a major driver of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Studies have shown that a huge reduction in meat and dairy consumption is essential.

As the planet gets warmer and more humans and non-human animals are affected by the climate crisis, experts are becoming increasingly concerned that we are running out of time to address environmental issues.

“The temperature-related extreme events witnessed this summer will only become more intense, with more devastating consequences for people and the planet unless we take urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Burgess.