Global Temperatures Reach New Highs in May

The world has experienced its hottest May on record, marking the twelfth consecutive month of unprecedented global temperatures, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Last month’s average temperature was 1.52C above the pre-industrial average. Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S, noted that while this streak may eventually end, the trend of climate change remains unbroken.
This 12-month record does not mean the world has surpassed the critical 1.5C global warming threshold, which is calculated over decades. However, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicts an 80% chance that this threshold will be exceeded within the next five years. The WMO expects average global temperatures from 2024 to 2028 to be between 1.1C and 1.9C higher than pre-industrial levels.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the urgent need for action, calling for a 30% reduction in global fossil fuel production and use by 2030 and urging a ban on fossil fuel advertising. The intense heat has already caused significant fatalities in India and Mexico and has led to extreme weather events worldwide, exacerbated by the climate crisis.
Buontempo emphasized the importance of using advanced climate monitoring to inform actions, stating that stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations could eventually bring temperatures back to current levels by the century’s end.