July 2023 breaks record as hottest month ever recorded on Earth, says EU's Copernicus Climate Service
PTC Web Desk: The European Union's climate service, Copernicus, has announced that July 2023 set a new record as the hottest month ever documented on Earth. This surpasses the previous record set in July 2019 by 0.33 degrees Celsius. Additionally, Copernicus noted that last month's average air temperatures were 0.72 degrees Celsius higher compared to the typical July averages from 1991 to 2020.
The average temperature was nearly one degree higher than the July average for the period 1991-2020, during a month characterised by global wildfires and widespread land and marine heatwaves.
Copernicus stated that heatwaves affected various parts of the Northern Hemisphere, including southern Europe, and significantly elevated temperatures were observed in numerous South American nations as well as across a significant portion of Antarctica.
According to the organisation's report, the temperatures of the month surpassed the average for 1991-2020 by 0.72°C.
Incorporating well-established historical data, Copernicus pointed out that proxy climate data derived from sources like tree rings and ice cores, which provide insights into more distant periods, suggest that last month's temperatures could be unmatched in recent millennia.
Carlo Buontempo, the director of Copernicus, proposed the idea that these temperature levels might have broken records for an even longer timeframe, potentially spanning up to 100,000 years.
On the other hand, unprecedented global ocean temperatures have sparked concerns regarding potential far-reaching consequences on the Earth's climate, marine life, and coastal communities.
According to data gathered by the European Union's climate observatory, the surface temperature of the world's oceans peaked at 20.96°C on July 30.
This measurement exceeded the earlier record of 20.95°C established in March 2016, as highlighted by Copernicus.
It's worth mentioning that the provided measurements exclude data from the polar regions.
Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, emphasised the alarming significance of the recent developments: "In July, we have just witnessed unprecedented global air temperatures and ocean surface temperatures setting new historical records. These records carry grave implications for both people and the environment, exposing them to increasingly frequent and intense extreme events."
She further provided insights into the ongoing climate trends: "As of now, 2023 stands as the third warmest year on record, with a deviation of 0.43°C above the recent average. The global average temperature in July has risen to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. While this increase might be transient, it underscores the pressing need for ambitious initiatives to curtail global greenhouse gas emissions, which are the primary catalyst for these record-breaking conditions."
Notable occurrences driven by these extreme conditions have included substantial forest fires in Greece and the scorching of 12 million hectares in Canada. Regions like southern Europe, parts of North Africa, the southern United States, and sections of China have been grappling with intense heatwaves.
The impacts of these climate changes have also manifested in unexpected ways, such as the torrential rains that recently besieged Beijing, China, marking the heaviest recorded downpour in the city's 140-year history.
Carlo Buontempo, earlier, expressed his astonishment at the temperature trends of this period: "The temperatures during this time frame have been remarkably remarkable."
United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres has issued an urgent appeal: "Climate change is no longer a distant concern; it is a present reality, and it is deeply unsettling. And this is just the initial phase. Guterres urged immediate, bold actions to cut emissions and address the crisis head-on: "The era of global warming has concluded; the era of global boiling is upon us."
- With inputs from agencies
