July Becomes the Hottest Month in the Last 120,000 Years
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service report, July temperatures were so extreme that the month "shattered previous records by a significant margin." Based on climate data dating back to 1940, July 2023 was the hottest in this period. However, scientists note that the July temperatures were the warmest in the last 120,000 years, considering climate information from millennia obtained through the study of tree rings, coral reefs, and deep-sea sediments, as reported by CNN.
In the United States, Europe, and China, July days broke records consecutively, and the heat proved to be costly and deadly for the population. The exact death toll is unknown, but in some American cities, there was a sharp increase in emergency department visits due to heat-related illnesses.
In Austin, Texas, the number of visits doubled compared to June, and in Houston, at least three deaths were linked to the heat in July. In the Mediterranean region, over 40 people lost their lives in forest fires, while in Asia, prolonged heatwaves posed a threat to food security.
Meanwhile, Miami set a world record for seawater temperature on the coast, and Greece and Italy struggled to combat fires that struck popular tourist destinations, leading to mass evacuations. Researchers state that such heatwaves would have been "virtually impossible" without the influence of human-induced climate change.
As for the figures, the global average air temperature in the first 23 days of July was 16.95°C, significantly higher than 16.63°C in July 2019. Recorded data were approximately 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, which, however, does not violate the goal of the Paris Climate Agreement to keep the rise in average global temperature below +2°C from pre-industrial levels.
The world's oceans are also suffering, with the average sea surface temperature reaching extreme levels in 2023, experiencing a sharp increase to 21°C by the end of March with no plans for reduction. El Niño is just one of many contributing factors.
The planet already experienced the hottest June on record (since 1850) and the hottest day (July 6). There is now the prospect of the entire year of 2023 surpassing 2016 as the hottest year. Overall, the eight warmest years in recorded history have all occurred recently.