Summer 2024 was hottest on record globally and for Europe – Friends of the Earth reaction

Reacting to the latest news from the Copernicus Climate Change Services that August 2024 was the joint-warmest August globally (together with August 2023), and that the global average temperature for the past 12 months (September 2023 – August 2024) is the highest on record for any 12-month period, Mike Childs, Friends of the Earth’s head of policy, said: 

“It’s sadly no surprise that the last 12 months has seen the highest global average temperature on record, despite the UK having a cooler summer this year. Wildfires, floods, droughts, failed harvests, and the human consequences of these are being felt globally, and have appeared regularly in the news. Despite this, governments are not acting as though we are in an emergency.

“In the UK, we are way off-track towards meeting our internationally agreed target of cutting the UK’s emissions by two-thirds by 2030. Thanks to legal action by Friends of the Earth, the new government has been told by the High Court to write a new climate plan by May 2025.

“This plan needs to be comprehensive and it needs to be fair. The climate crisis is largely a result of high carbon emissions from wealthy households and countries, the costs of tackling the issue must fall on the broadest shoulders – not those on the lowest incomes. What’s more, there are multiple benefits to be had in the transition to a greener future, such as lower energy bills, greater resilience when it comes to energy security, scores of new jobs in clean industries, and a safer planet for us all.”