Climate Crisis: May 2024 was the warmest May on record, says NASA

Visualization shows monthly global surface temperatures from 1880 to May 2024 (Photo - NASA)

NASA scientists have discovered that May 2024 has been recorded to be the warmest May ever. Over this one-year period, each month has witnessed the global temperature reaching an unusual height.

“It’s clear we are facing a climate crisis, Communities across America—like Arizona, California, Nevada—and communities across the globe are feeling first-hand extreme heat in unprecedented numbers,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.  This streak of high temperatures is the result of increased global warming and human activities, especially the emission of greenhouse gases.

There is a huge climate crisis happening, and NASA is sharing updates on the climate conditions and global temperature.  July 2023 is known to be the hottest month since 1880. On May 29, 2024, the temperature in Delhi, the capital of India, is reportedly registering the highest temperature ever measured—52.9 degrees Celsius.

According to NASA, the past 10 years are the warmest years recorded at the end of the 19th century. The hottest streak that happened in the past, lasting for seven months, happened between 2015 to 2016.

Due to the increasing temperature, the ocean noticed the impact. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA), in the months of January–April in the  Northern Hemisphere, the ocean temperature was 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit (1.18 degrees Celsius).

The cause of this ocean warming is rising carbon dioxide emissions, 90% of the heat has been absorbed by the ocean in recent decades. May 2024 has officially become the warmest May ever recorded. This milestone underscores the urgent need for climate action to mitigate the impacts of rising temperatures on our planet.