On Sunday, July 21, the average temperature was recorded at 17.09 degrees Celsius, beating last year’s record high by a small margin. “This is what climate science tells us will happen if we keep burning fossil fuels,” said Joyce Kimutai, a scientist at Imperial College London. “And temperatures will continue to rise until we stop burning fossil fuels and get to net zero emissions.”
Copernicus uses satellite data to update global air and sea temperatures in real time. As summer peaks in the northern hemisphere and the planet experiences a period of unprecedented warmth, it is predicted that daily records will continue to be broken.
Global warming is causing longer, stronger and more frequent extreme weather events, and this year there have been major disasters around the world. Heatwaves and wildfires have wreaked havoc in Asia, North America and Europe in recent weeks. Fires have also broken out in the Arctic, which is warming faster than the rest of the planet. Winter temperatures in Antarctica are well above normal.
Every Month Breaks Its Own Temperature Record
Copernicus noted that what worries climate scientists most is not the daily temperature records being broken, but the broader warming pattern. Every month since June 2023 has broken its own temperature record compared to the same month in previous years, an unprecedented feat.
The temperature experienced on Sunday and Monday only slightly beat the July 2023 record, but far surpassed the previous high of 16.8 degrees Celsius set in August 2016. Copernicus noted that the 16.8 degree record has been broken 57 times since July 2023.
