July 2023 becomes the hottest month on Earth in 120,000 years, say scientists

"These are the hottest temperatures in human history"

Regions in North America, Europe, and Asia are suffering from exceptionally high temperatures, and global oceans are reaching unprecedented heat levels.

Two global climate organizations, the Copernicus Climate Change Service of the European Union and the World Meteorological Organization, have declared that this extreme heat is breaking records by a significant margin, raising concerns about the accelerated impact of climate change.

First, June 2023 was announced as the hottest June in recorded history, and now July has been confirmed to share the same distinction.

According to Russell Vose, climate analysis group director for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, temperature records are usually broken by fractions of a degree Celsius. However, this year, during the first 23 days of July, the average air temperature surged by 16.95 degrees Celsius.

July breaks world high-temperature records (Photo: unsplash.com)

This significant rise far surpassed the previous record of 16.63˚C set in July 2019. The report aligns with the global consensus that human-induced climate changes are negatively impacting the planet.

"We are seven months into 2023 and almost every month this year has been in the top five hottest on record," stated Samantha Burgess, deputy director at Copernicus.

"Evidence from these natural archives provides valuable insights into our planet’s climate history, suggesting that the Earth has not experienced such warmth in approximately 120,000 years," the article says.

Danger of global warming

The consequences of this extreme heat are far-reaching and devastating. In the southwestern United States, a heatwave has led to air temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, resulting in a sharp increase in heat-related deaths as people suffer life-threatening burns from contact with scorching surfaces.

In the Mediterranean region of Europe, more than 40 people have lost their lives due to forest fires, which continue to rage due to high temperatures and dry conditions. Asia is also facing prolonged and intense heatwaves, leading to human casualties and posing a serious threat to food security.

European countries engulfed by a wave of fires (Photo: unsplash.com)

According to Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the WMO, the extreme weather in July reflects the "harsh reality of climate change."

Extreme heat is primarily a consequence of human activities, including fossil fuel extraction and combustion, deforestation, and industrial processes, which have significantly increased greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. This, in turn, traps more heat, resulting in a global temperature rise.

Despite numerous international climate negotiations and ambitious promises from countries and companies to reduce emissions, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

"Climate action is not a luxury but a must," said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

For the past month, southern Europe has been enduring record-breaking heat, forcing many tourists to reconsider their vacation plans. In some Mediterranean regions, temperatures have reached 50 degrees Celsius. We have previously covered how to stay safe from the heat.