Thursday, July 6, was a historic day in global climate history, as the Earth witnessed the hottest day ever recorded, with average temperatures reaching 17.2 degrees Celsius.
This followed a string of record-breaking heatwaves that began on Monday and continued through Tuesday and Wednesday. Scientists link the protracted period of scorching heat to a mix of human-caused climate change and the influence of El Nio, a weather pattern that exacerbates the consequences of global warming.
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The unusual temperatures were detected by the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, which collects data from satellite, ship, and buoy measurements. On 3 July, the global average temperature reached 17.01 degrees Celsius, breaking the previous record set in August 2016 during an El Nio event.
The blazing heat continued for the next two days, with highs of 17.18 degrees Celsius (62.92 degrees Fahrenheit) on July 4th and 5th.
Despite the fact that data for this particular record-breaking period only goes back to 1979, similar findings from other times show the severity of the situation. This week, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which has data dating back to 1940, also announced record-breaking temperatures.
Furthermore, tree ring and ice core data imply that these temperatures may be the highest in thousands of years.
Climate scientists emphasise the necessity for immediate action to address this increasing issue. With greenhouse gas emissions continue to climb, there is a good chance that more temperature records will be broken in the future. Experts anticipate that if no quick steps are done to curb emissions, temperatures will rise alarmingly in the next six weeks.
