EU says ‘July hottest-ever month on record globally’

It said: “Marked by heatwaves and fires all around the world, the previous month was 0.33 degrees Celsius higher than the record set in July 2019 when the average temperature was 16.63C (32 Fahrenheit).”

“It has not been this warm, combining observational records and paleoclimate records, for the last 120,000 years,” said Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Burgess added: “The global average temperature for July 2023 is confirmed to be the highest on record for any month — the month is estimated to have been around 1.5 degrees warmer than the average for 1850 to 1900.”

The service reported that this July experienced a temperature increase of 0.72 degrees Celsius compared to the average for the month from 1991 to 2020.

Around 1.2 degrees Celsius of planetary warming since the late 1800s, primarily caused by the combustion of fossil fuels, has led to heightened heatwaves that are more intense, prolonged, and frequent. This warming has also amplified various other extreme weather events such as storms and floods.

“Heatwaves were experienced in multiple regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including southern Europe. Well-above average temperatures occurred over several South American countries and around much of Antarctica,” according to the observatory.

“The global mean for 2023 is the third highest on record, at 0.43C relative to 1991-2020, compared with 0.49C for 2016 and 0.48C for 2020. The gap between 2023 and 2016 is expected to narrow in the coming months, as the latter months of 2016 were relatively cool… while the remainder of 2023 is expected to be relatively warm as the current El Nino event develops.”

Warnings from scientists about the potential for July to break temperature records have proven true, as it indeed became the hottest month ever recorded.

In addition to this, the Earth’s oceans have also established a new temperature pinnacle, prompting worries about the subsequent impacts on global climate, aquatic ecosystems, and shoreline settlements.

As per information gathered by the EU climate observatory, the surface temperature of the oceans reached 20.96 degrees Celsius (69.7 degrees Fahrenheit) on July 30th.

“We just witnessed global air temperatures and global ocean surface temperatures set new all-time records in July. These records have dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events,” said Burgess.

“2023 is currently the third warmest year to date at 0.43C above the recent average, with the average global temperature in July at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

“Even if this is only temporary, it shows the urgency for ambitious efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main driver behind these records,” she said.

Extensive forest fires have caused significant damage in Greece and led to the burning of 30 million acres (12 million hectares) of land in Canada. Additionally, various regions such as southern Europe, parts of North Africa, the southern United States, and certain areas in China have been grappling with an intense heatwave.

Recent heavy rainfall in Beijing, China, resulted in the most severe downpour in the past 140 years according to historical records.

Carlo Buontempo, the Director of Copernicus, previously noted that the temperatures during this period have been exceptionally noteworthy.

He pointed out that proxy climate data, which extends back further in time, such as tree rings and ice cores, suggests that the temperatures observed during this period could be unparalleled in the past few thousand years. There’s even a possibility that these temperatures haven’t been experienced for an even longer timeframe, potentially spanning up to 100,000 years.

“This extreme heat shouldn’t come as a surprise,” said Chris Hewitt, World Meteorological Organization Director of Climate Services.

“[It] really is consistent with what scientists have been predicting for years,” said Hewitt, saying the coming “year would unlikely bring any respite.”

UN chief Antonio Guterres recently put out an SOS call.

“Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning,” said Guterres, urging immediate and bold action to cut planet-heating emissions.

“The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.”