July was hottest month on report amid warning of ‘dire consequences’ for the planet
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uly was by far the Earth’s hottest month ever recorded, scientists have confirmed.
The world common temperature reached 16.95C – beating the earlier report set in 2019 by a considerable 0.33C.
The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which made the announcement on Tuesday, stated the report had “dire consequences for both people and the planet.”
Reacting to the announcement, Imperial College of London local weather scientist Friederike Otto stated: “We mustn’t care about July as a result of it’s a report, however as a result of it received’t be a report for lengthy.
“It’s an indicator of how a lot we’ve got modified the local weather. We reside in a really completely different world, one which our societies usually are not tailored to stay in very effectively.”
Severe heatwaves baked southern Europe while raging wildfires forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists from several Greek islands.
European Weather: Mediterranean Wildfires | July 2023
There had been additionally excessive temperatures in South American international locations, with some areas experiencing the identical warmth as within the Mediterranean regardless of being in winter.
July is estimated to have been round 1.5C hotter than the typical for 1850-1900, Copernicus stated, and 0.72C hotter than the 1991-2020 common.
This doesn’t imply the targets of the Paris Agreement, which mandates international locations to pursue efforts to restrict global warming to beneath 1.5C, have failed as that refers to a mean spreading over a number of years.
Ocean temperatures additionally reached report ranges final month after operating unusually excessive since April.
Buoyed by the El Nino impact, world common sea floor temperatures had been 0.51C above the 1991-2020 common.
The North Atlantic was 1.05C above common in July, with marine heatwaves occurring south of Greenland, within the Caribbean and within the Mediterranean.
Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, stated: “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.”
Antarctic sea ice has additionally been at report lows this July, freezing lower than in every other winter since satellites started observations in 1979.
Scientists have stated that if greenhouse gasoline emissions usually are not managed, excessive climate will more and more injury Antarctic ecosystems which is able to then impression on the remainder of the world.
Dr Burgess stated: “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.”
It comes as world leaders were warned on Tuesday by the United Nations’ chief climate change scientist to “stick to” the shift from petrol and diesel to electric cars to tackle global warming.
In an unique interview with the Standard, Professor Jim Skea stated that political leaders had a “particular responsibility” because the “ringmasters or ringmistresses” to guide the battle towards world warming, which he warned could also be taking place sooner than anticipated.