A girl holds an umbrella to avoid the sun’s rays as a result of high temperatures in downtown Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, July 6, 2023.
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The planet recorded its hottest day since records began for the third time in only 4 days this week, adding to fears of far-reaching changes happening within the Earth system as a result of the climate crisis.
Unofficial data from US scientists showed the planet’s average every day temperature rose to 17.23 degrees Celsius (63.01 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, surpassing two previous heat records recorded in recent days.
The remarkable feat comes shortly after the tip of the European Union’s climate change service confirmed the planet recorded its hottest June on record, with unprecedented sea surface temperatures and record-low Antarctic sea ice.
Climate scientists are deeply concerned.
Infographic titled “People around the globe are getting high, suffering and dying from heatwaves brought on by climate change” created in Ankara, Turkey on July 4, 2023.
Jasin Demirci | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Indeed, the UN weather agency recently warned that the mix of ever-rising greenhouse gas emissions and the return of El Niño could mean the worst is yet to return.
“Yesterday the world temperature record was broken again,” Bill McGuire, emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, said on Twitter.
“I would really like to welcome the longer term – except the longer term will probably be much hotter.”
“Disturbing news for the planet”
University of Maine Climate Analyzer, an unofficial tool for measuring global air temperature at 2 meters above the surface, has recorded temperature records. Data dating back to 1979 are sometimes utilized by climatologists as a reference to the state of the world.
On Monday, it was reported that the worldwide average temperature rose to 17.01 degrees Celsius, surpassing 17 degrees Celsius for the primary time in 44 years – when the info was first collected.
The record was broken again on Tuesday with 17.18 degrees Celsius and remained at that record high on Wednesday.
The previous record was set in 2016, the hottest 12 months on record, when in August this 12 months the metric showed that the worldwide average temperature reached 16.92 degrees Celsius.
“Global air temperatures proceed to rise!” climate scientist Leon Simons said via Twitter, citing multiple heat records seen this week.
The wave of world heat records follows a series of incredible extreme weather events in recent months.
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It follows a series of stunning extreme weather events in recent months, with climate-driven heatwaves recorded across China, northern Africa, the western Mediterranean, Mexico and the southern United States
“We’re in uncharted territory and might expect more records to be dropped because the El Niño continues to develop, with the impact extending into 2024,” Chris Hewitt, director of climate services on the World Meteorological Organization, – we read within the report published on Thursday.
“That is worrying news for the planet.”