July was Earth’s hottest month on record, signalling ‘dire consequences for the planet’
- July’s global average temperature of 16.95 degrees Celsius was a third of a degree higher than the previous record set in 2019
- The world’s oceans also set a temperature record, raising concerns about knock-on effects on the planet’s climate, marine life and coastal communities
Now that July’s sizzling numbers are all in, the European climate monitoring organisation made it official: July 2023 was Earth’s hottest month on record by a wide margin.
July’s global average temperature of 16.95 degrees Celsius (62.51 degrees Fahrenheit) was a third of a degree higher than the previous record set in 2019, Copernicus Climate Change Service, a division of the European Union’s space programme, announced Tuesday. Normally, global temperature records are broken by hundredths or a tenth of a degree, so this margin is unusual.
“These records have dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events,” said Copernicus deputy director Samantha Burgess.
There have been deadly heatwaves in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, Europe and Asia. Scientific quick studies put the blame on human-caused climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.
Days in July have been hotter than previously recorded from July 2 on. It’s been so extra warm that Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization made the unusual early announcement that it was likely the hottest month days before it ended. Tuesday’s calculations made it official.
