July 2023 on track to be hottest month on record

Web Desk

27th Jul, 2023. 11:06 pm
Share
- Listen
- Font size
  - Small
  - Medium
  - Large
- Dark Mode
- Save
- Print

Articles

July is on track to become the hottest month ever recorded.
The world has experienced scorching temperatures.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group have determined.

According to monitors from the United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU), July is on track to become the hottest month ever recorded, indicating a preview of the planet’s future climate conditions.

The world has experienced scorching temperatures due to the escalating impact of global warming, leading to extreme heatwaves in Europe, Asia, and North America. In addition, wildfires have devastated regions in Canada and parts of southern Europe.

“The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived,” UN chief Antonio Guterres told reporters in New York.

The World Meteorological Organization and Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) have reported that the first three weeks of July have experienced higher global average temperatures than any comparable period. They state that there is an “extremely likely” chance that July 2023 will become the hottest month on record since temperature recordings began in the 1940s.

Carlo Buontempo, the Director of C3S, stated that the temperatures during this period have been exceptionally noteworthy. The deviation from the norm has been so significant that scientists are certain the previous records have been broken, even before the month concludes.

Furthermore, when examining proxy data for the climate dating back further in time, such as tree rings or ice cores, the temperatures observed during this period appear to be unparalleled in the past few thousand years.

Possibly even longer “on the order of 100,000 years,” he said.

Since the late 1800s, human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, have caused the Earth’s average temperature to rise by approximately 1.2 degrees Celsius. This global warming has resulted in more frequent, longer, and hotter heatwaves, as well as more intense weather extremes such as storms and floods.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported that the eight years leading up to 2022 were the warmest ever recorded, even considering the cooling influence of the La Niña weather pattern. Currently, La Niña is transitioning to the warming El Niño, but it is not expected to reach its full strength until later in the year.

“The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is, unfortunately, the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future,” said WHO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicts that there is a higher chance than not that global temperatures will temporarily rise 1.5C above the pre-industrial levels for at least one of the next five years. This would not, however, be a permanent breach of the 1.5C limit set in the Paris Agreement, as the agreement focuses on long-term warming.

The temperature records across the northern hemisphere have been breaking due to an unprecedented number of days exceeding the 1.5C mark. Many regions have been experiencing weeks of relentless heat.

In response to the extreme temperatures, President Joe Biden held a conference with mayors of affected cities in the US, like Phoenix, Arizona, which has been enduring a 27-day streak of temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit). Measures to enhance heat-related safety rules for outdoor workers, especially farmers and construction workers, were announced.

Countries like China and Greece have also been experiencing extreme heat, with the Chinese government urging the elderly to stay indoors and children to reduce outdoor playtime to minimize heat and ozone pollution exposure. Greece has been battling deadly wildfires for two weeks in several areas.

Global average sea surface temperatures have been exceptionally warm in July, surpassing previous records since May. The central Mediterranean region is especially affected, with many areas reaching or surpassing previous temperature records.

Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group have determined that the heatwaves in parts of Europe and North America would have been nearly impossible without the influence of climate change. They also found that global warming made temperatures in China 50 times more likely.

July 2023 on track to be hottest month on record

Web Desk

Articles