Virtually Certain” to Be the Hottest Month on Record
July 2023 is expected to surpass the 2019 record and become the warmest month ever recorded, according to scientists. The relentless heatwaves experienced during this month have left researchers confident that the record will be broken, with several days still remaining.
Fossil Fuel Use Linked to Extra Heat
The additional heat can be primarily attributed to the use of fossil fuels, according to experts. Singapore, in particular, has seen a surge in temperatures, and even US President Joe Biden recognizes climate change as an “existential threat.”
July 2023 Breaks Multiple Records
This July witnessed the warmest day ever recorded on July 6, along with 23 of the hottest days, as reported by the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The provisional average temperature for the first 25 days of July was 16.95°C, significantly higher than the 16.63°C recorded in the whole of July 2019.
Longest Stretch of Warmth in Millennia
Dr. Karsten Haustein from the University of Leipzig estimates that July 2023 will be around 1.3°C to 1.7°C above average July temperatures before the widespread use of fossil fuels. The best estimate is approximately 1.5°C. This would not only make it the warmest July but also the warmest month ever recorded in terms of absolute global mean temperature.
Causes and Impact of Temperature Records
The rise in global temperature is determined by readings from weather stations worldwide, fed into computer models to estimate the global temperature accurately. While researchers anticipate the warmest July in around 150 years, some believe it could be the warmest in tens of thousands of years, based on data from polar ice cores and deep ocean sediments.
Urgent Need for Climate Action
The impact of climate change, evident in extreme weather events, emphasizes the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While the Paris climate agreement aimed to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the recent heatwaves underscore the significance of taking action to avoid the most severe consequences of climate change.
SOURCE: Ref Image from AKIpress News Agency
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