Second Warmest April Since Records Began: Climate Crisis Worsens

With 14.96 degrees Celsius, the global average temperature on land was 0.6 degrees above the April average from 1991 to 2020. Only April 2024 was warmer, with an average temperature of 15.03 degrees.

A year ago, unlike now, the climate phenomenon El Niño contributed to the temperature rise, whereas for 2025, a cooling effect from the climate phenomenon La Niña was expected. Instead, the rapid increase in global warming continued, said Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), to the AFP news agency. The cause of this acceleration is not yet fully understood, but it is a "very disturbing sign."

Climate Crisis: Average Temperatures at Record Levels

Since 2023, global average temperatures have been at record levels or at least close to them. According to Copernicus, in 21 of the past 22 months, all average temperatures were at least 1.5 degrees above the pre-industrial level average from 1850 to 1900. April 2025 was also among them with 1.51 degrees.

The international community agreed in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to a manageable level of well below two degrees, preferably 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. This is based on the average over several decades. Given the continued use of fossil fuels like oil, many experts believe this limit is hardly achievable anymore.

According to calculations by Copernicus based on the temperature rise of the past 30 years, the Earth is on track to permanently exceed the 1.5-degree warming threshold from June 2029. Every tenth of a degree of warming has far-reaching consequences, as experts say that due to ongoing climate change, weather extremes such as droughts, storms, and heavy rainfall are increasing.

(APA/Red)

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