, and have set high temperature marks for three consecutive months, the WMO and Copernicus announced The world is facing a 'climate breakdown' as it endures the hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever recorded, the United Nations have warned The Earth has been subjected to scorching and deadly temperatures this year, with August setting a new record for heat, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Last month was not only the warmest August ever documented, but it also ranks as the second hottest month ever measured, falling just behind the one that proceeded it July 2023. These alarming figures were released by both the WMO and the European climate service Copernicus on Wednesday. August's temperatures soared about 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages. This is the warming threshold that global efforts are striving to avoid. However, this 1.5 C threshold is meant to be considered over decades, not just one month, so scientists do not view this brief spike as catastrophic. The world's oceans, which cover more than 70 per cent of the Earth's surface, have also experienced record-breaking warmth. With temperatures nearing 21C (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit), they have set high temperature records for three consecutive months, as reported by the WMO and Copernicus. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement saying: "The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting. Climate breakdown has begun." As it stands, 2023 is shaping up to be the second hottest year on record, trailing only behind 2016, according to data from Copernicus. Scientists have attributed the ever-warming climate to human activities further exacerbated by a natural phenomenon known as El Nino, which temporarily warms parts of the Pacific Ocean, altering weather patterns globally. This year's El Nino, which began earlier, has added extra heat){kind=link}
The world’s oceans were the hottest ever recorded, nearly 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit), and have set high temperature marks for three consecutive months, the WMO and Copernicus announced
The world is facing a ‘climate breakdown’ as it endures the hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever recorded, the United Nations have warned
The Earth has been subjected to scorching and deadly temperatures this year, with August setting a new record for heat, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Last month was not only the warmest August ever documented, but it also ranks as the second hottest month ever measured, falling just behind the one that proceeded it July 2023.
These alarming figures were released by both the WMO and the European climate service Copernicus on Wednesday. August’s temperatures soared about 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages. This is the warming threshold that global efforts are striving to avoid.
However, this 1.5 C threshold is meant to be considered over decades, not just one month, so scientists do not view this brief spike as catastrophic. The world’s oceans, which cover more than 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface, have also experienced record-breaking warmth.