Record temperatures: Planet’s thermostat is cranked up, warns WWF

ISLAMABAD: As the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warns that global temperatures are likely to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in next five years, the WWF calls for urgent action to reduce emissions and protect and restore natural ecosystems.

This comes as new data from Copernicus Climate Change, released on Wednesday, revealed that May 2024 was the 12th consecutive month with record-high temperatures.

Stephen Cornelius, WWF Deputy Climate and Energy Lead, said: “The planet’s thermostat is cranked up, with records being broken more regularly than when Usain Bolt was competing. Every fraction of a degree of global warming matters, as the hotter it gets the more harm climate change causes to people and the nature. We need to slash greenhouse gas emissions or we’ll overshoot way past 1.5°C of global warming. To limit warming, we must phase out fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas - and swiftly move to 100 percent clean renewable energy as well as to protect and restore natural ecosystems.” Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General WWF-Pakistan, said that the country is experiencing scorching temperatures and series of heatwaves, which are impacting people, wildlife, and ecosystems. “In some regions, temperature rose above 51 Celsius in May, which was very alarming.” Khan emphasised: “We need to conserve our natural resources such as forests and freshwater bodies, and promote nature-based solutions to tackle the rising temperatures and heatwaves.”

Stephanie Roe, WWF Global Climate and Energy Lead Scientist, said: “We keep obtaining more and more alarming data. We’re continuously seeing record-breaking temperatures, droughts, floods and economic damage from climate change. It’s wake-up call after wake-up call. We should be accelerating efforts to meet the Paris Agreement goals and avert the worst of the climate crisis now. Future generations depend on the actions we take today.”

With the WMO predicting an 80 percent likelihood of at least one year exceeding 1.5°C between 2024 and 2028, the world is edging ever closer to crossing the 1.5°C Paris Agreement goal. This short-term annual warming does not equate to a permanent breach of the lower 1.5°C Paris Agreement goal, but it is a grave warning sign. Passing the Paris Agreement threshold would require the global average temperature to remain above 1.5°C for a 20-year average period. Unless there is an immediate and deep reduction in emission across all sectors and regions, Earth is set to overshoot 1.5°C in the early 2030s.