EU climate monitors confirm record-breaking heat in June

Global ocean surface temperatures reached record highs in June, European scientists have confirmed, raising concerns about more intense heat waves in the months ahead and highlighting the accelerating impact of climate change.

Two independent services under the European Union's Copernicus Programme — the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Copernicus Marine Service — reported that sea surface temperatures climbed to unprecedented levels during the month.

Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, warned that the latest data could signal the "beginning of a new phase."

"With ocean temperatures at these levels and El Niño on the horizon, we are likely to see more temperature records fall in the coming months," Buontempo said. "The world could be heading into 'uncharted territory.'"

According to the two monitoring services, global ocean temperatures outside the polar regions reached new records on June 21, surpassing previous highs recorded for the same time of year in both 2023 and 2024.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service measured an average sea surface temperature of 20.86 degrees Celsius, narrowly exceeding the 20.83°C recorded in the previous two years. Meanwhile, the Copernicus Marine Service registered 21°C, around 0.1°C higher than the corresponding records set in 2023 and 2024.

Scientists say the findings are consistent with the long-term warming trend driven by greenhouse gas emissions.

"It's consistent with what we've known for a long time — that the planet is warming because we're emitting vast quantities of greenhouse gases, primarily from fossil fuel burning, into the atmosphere and that's stifling the ability of the planet to lose its heat to space," Richard Allan, a professor of climate science at the University of Reading, said.

By Nazrin Sadigova