On Thursday, 6 July, the world witnessed an extraordinary event in the annals of climate history: the hottest day ever recorded on Earth, with an average temperature of 17.2 degrees Celsius. This scorching milestone followed a string of record-breaking heatwaves earlier in the week, spanning from Monday to Wednesday. Climate scientists attribute this extended period of blistering heat to a combination of human-induced climate change and the influence of El Niño, a weather pattern that exacerbates the effects of global warming.
The University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, utilizing data from satellite, ship, and buoy observations, documented these unprecedented temperatures. On 3 July, the average global temperature reached 17.01 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record established during an El Niño event in August 2016.
The sweltering conditions persisted for the following two days, with temperatures peaking at 17.18 degrees Celsius (62.92 degrees Fahrenheit) on the 4th and 5th of July.
While data specific to this record-breaking period spans back only to 1979, earlier evidence corroborates the severity of the situation. The Copernicus Climate Change Service of the European Union, which possesses data dating back to 1940, also reported record-breaking temperatures this week.
Moreover, historical evidence derived from tree ring and ice core data suggests that these temperatures might be the highest experienced in thousands of years.
Urgent Action Required as Heat Records Continue to Tumble
Climate scientists emphasize the urgent need for decisive action to address this escalating crisis. With greenhouse gas emissions continuing to rise unabated, the probability of even more frequent temperature records being shattered in the future is alarmingly high. Unless immediate measures are taken to reduce emissions, experts predict a staggering escalation in temperatures within the next six weeks.
