Several global climate records fell last month, EU scientists said Tuesday, confirming July as the world’s hottest month in recorded history.
The bloc’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said that July’s global average temperature of 16.95 degrees Celsius was well above the previous 16.63C record set in 2019. At the same time, ocean temperatures hit a new high.
Last month also saw the world’s hottest day: Global temperatures on July 6 reached 17.08C — and every day between July 3 and July 31 smashed the previous 16.80C record set in August 2016. The findings validate earlier estimates.
“These records have dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events,” said Samantha Burgess, C3S deputy director.
The high global temperature — part of a steep warming trend driven by the burning of fossil fuels — manifested in severe heat waves across the Northern Hemisphere, from the United States to the Mediterranean and China.
Many parts of Europe have also seen higher-than-average precipitation, including extreme rainfall and giant hail, although drier conditions prevailed in the Mediterranean region.
In the Southern Hemisphere, Latin America is experiencing an unusual winter heat wave, and Antarctica’s sea ice hit a new record low in July at 15 percent below average.
The increase in sea surface temperatures, which began in spring, reached a new high in late July, the Copernicus scientists found. On July 31, global average sea temperatures hit 20.96C, just about surpassing the previous 2016 record by a margin of 0.01C.
Copernicus estimates that July was likely 1.5C warmer than pre-industrial times. While that does not yet amount to a breach of the totemic Paris Agreement target, which refers to long-term global warming, “it shows the urgency for ambitious efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main driver behind these records,” Burgess said.
With the El Niño phenomenon expected to exacerbate the effects of man-made climate change, scientists say it’s possible more records will be broken in 2023.
“July’s record is unlikely to remain isolated this year,” said C3S Director Carlo Buontempo. The agency’s forecasts, he added, “indicate that over land areas, temperatures are likely to be well above average.”