UN chief: We are on the ‘highway to climate hell’ 

The planet just experienced a “shocking” new milestone, enduring 12 consecutive months of unprecedented heat, according to Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service. From June 2023 to May 2024, each month set a new record for the hottest such month globally.  

This streak of extreme heat, driven by human-caused climate change, was described as “shocking but not surprising” by Carlo Buontempo, Copernicus’ director, who warned of worse to come unless fossil fuel pollution is significantly reduced. 

Buontempo emphasized that without drastic action, this series of hottest months could be seen as relatively cool in the future.

On the highway to climate hell

On the same day, UN Secretary General António Guterres delivered a passionate speech in New York about climate change, criticizing fossil fuel companies as “the godfathers of climate chaos” and for the first time explicitly calling for a global ban on advertising fossil fuel products. 

Guterres urged world leaders to take immediate action to manage the escalating climate crisis. He compared humanity’s current trajectory to playing “Russian roulette with our planet” and called for an “exit ramp off the highway to climate hell.”

More severe climate impacts to come 

Copernicus data showed that each month since July 2023 has been at least 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels, with the average global temperature over the past year being 1.63 degrees above these levels. 

This alarming breach signals progressively more dangerous climate impacts on the horizon. 

According to Richard Allan, a climate professor at the University of Reading, this is just a harbinger of more severe impacts to come.

Heat waves and extreme weather

The western United States is experiencing its first heat wave of the summer, with temperatures reaching triple digits. 

Globally, unprecedented heat has already caused significant mortality and damage this spring. India, Southeast Asia, and Mexico have all faced extreme temperatures leading to deaths, school closures, and crop failures. 

Extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall and destructive storms, have also battered various countries this year, exacerbated by warmer air and ocean temperatures.

Window into the future of our climate

Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London‘s Grantham Institute, argued that the recent heat offers “a window into the future,” with extreme temperatures challenging human survivability. 

Clarke stressed the importance of understanding that each tenth of a degree of warming exposes more people to dangerous and potentially deadly heat.

Guterres, in his speech, compared humanity’s impact on the planet to the meteor that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. “We are the meteor. We are not only in danger. We are the danger,” he warned.

Global warming trend will continue 

Global temperatures are expected to dip below record-breaking levels in the coming months as the natural climate phenomenon El Niño weakens. However, this will not alter the long-term trend of rising temperatures due to continuous fossil fuel combustion. 

Carlo Buontempo noted that while the sequence of record-breaking months may be interrupted, the overall trend of climate change remains unaltered.

New data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) referenced by Guterres indicates a nearly 86% chance that at least one year between 2024 and 2028 will set a new record for the hottest year. 

Additionally, there is almost a 50% chance that the global average temperature over the five-year period will exceed 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, inching closer to breaching the long-term limit set by the Paris Agreement.

Fossil fuel companies are to blame for the crisis

Guterres blamed fossil fuel companies for the impending climate hell, stating that they “rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies” while distorting the truth and deceiving the public. He called for a global ban on fossil fuel ads, similar to bans on advertising harmful products like tobacco.

Guterres concluded by urging world leaders to take immediate action, including drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and an end to new coal projects. He pressed rich countries to commit to phasing out coal by 2030, reducing oil and gas by 60% by 2035, and increasing financial support for the poorest and most climate-vulnerable nations. 

“We cannot accept a future where the rich are protected in air-conditioned bubbles, while the rest of humanity is lashed by lethal weather in unliveable lands,” said Guterres.

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