As extreme heat and wildfires continue to grip parts of Europe, Asia, and North America, scientists have confirmed that July is on track to be the hottest month ever recorded.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a warning, stating that Earth has entered an “era of global boiling,” emphasizing the urgent need for immediate and bold action to combat climate change.
Searing heat, exacerbated by global warming, has affected tens of millions of people, leading to devastating consequences in various regions. Fierce wildfires have engulfed Canada and parts of southern Europe, adding to the climate-related challenges faced by these areas.
“The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived,” said Guterres, sounding the alarm for the severity of the climate crisis.
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the global average temperatures for the first three weeks of July have already surpassed any comparable period on record, dating back to the 1940s. Experts consider it “extremely likely” that July 2023 will go down as the hottest month in recorded history.
Carlo Buontempo, Director of C3S, noted that the temperatures observed during this period have been remarkably high, and the data suggests that the records have been shattered even before the month’s end.
Proxy data, such as tree rings and ice cores, indicates that the current temperatures might be “unprecedented in our history in the last few thousand years” and potentially even longer, on the order of 100,000 years.
According to foreign media, the impact of global warming, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has led to an increase of about 1.2 degrees Celsius in global temperatures since the late 1800s. This has resulted in more frequent and intense heatwaves, longer durations of extreme heat, and intensified weather extremes like storms and floods.
The WMO reported that the eight years leading up to 2022 were the warmest on record, even with the cooling effects of the La Niña weather pattern. Now, the warming El Niño pattern has emerged, though it is not expected to strengthen until later in the year.
The unprecedented heat and wildfires experienced during July have raised concerns about their impact on health, ecosystems, and economies.
In the United States, a record-breaking heatwave is affecting large areas, with cities like Phoenix, Arizona, enduring a prolonged streak of days above 43 degrees Celsius. In response, President Joe Biden held a conference with city mayors to discuss the challenges posed by extreme temperatures.
The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is now more urgent than ever, emphasized WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. Climate action is not a choice but a necessity to address the harsh reality of climate change and safeguard the planet’s future.
