On Thursday, the UN said that July is “extremely likely” to be the hottest month in recorded history as blistering heat waves grip swathes of the planet.
With the first three weeks of July already registering global average temperatures above any comparative period, the World Meteorological Organization and Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said it is “extremely likely that July 2023 will be the hottest July and also the hottest month on record”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning.”
Guterres said there was no need to wait for the end of the month for today’s report. He said, “Short of a mini-Ice Age over the next few days, July 2023 will shatter records across the board.”
Climate experts have previously predicted 2023 would end up being the hottest year on record. The report notes that this past June was also the hottest June ever recorded.
Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts said,”Record-breaking temperatures are part of the trend of drastic increases in global temperatures. Anthropogenic emissions are ultimately the main driver of these rising temperatures.”
World Meteorological Organization’s Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas added that,”The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is unfortunately the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future. The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must.”
