Against the deniers of climate change, the data arrives: the EU Earth observation service Copernicus has confirmed that the average temperature of July 2023 was the highest ever recorded for any month, since there are scientific surveys. Copernicus had predicted the record in late July based on preliminary data. The month was 0.72 degrees warmer than the 1991-2020 average for July, and 0.33 degrees warmer than the previous warmest month, July 2019.
The month was estimated to have been about 1.5 degrees warmer than the 1850-1900 average. Heatwaves have been recorded in many regions of the northern hemisphere, including southern Europe.
Average sea surface temperatures continued to rise, following a long period of unusually high temperatures since April 2023, reaching new record highs of heat in July. For the entire month, global mean sea surface temperatures were 0.51 degrees above the 1991-2020 average. The North Atlantic was 1.05 degrees above average in July. Marine heat waves have been generated in Greenland and the Labrador Sea, in the Caribbean Basin and in the Mediterranean. El Nino (the periodic warming phenomenon of the east-central Pacific) continued to develop.
“We have just seen that global air and ocean surface temperatures hit all-time highs in July,” said Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. These records have tremendous consequences for people and the planet, exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events. 2023 is currently the third warmest year, 0.43 degrees above pre-industrial levels. “While this is only temporary, it shows the urgency of ambitious efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main reason for these records.”
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