July 2023 expected to be hottest month ever recorded

The first weeks of July were the warmest three-week period on record and it is “virtually certain” the month will be the hottest July ever recorded and the hottest month ever recorded “by a significant margin”, the organisations said in a joint statement on Thursday (27 July).

These high temperatures are related to heatwaves in large parts of North America, Asia and Europe and are linked to human-driven climate change.

“Record-breaking temperatures are part of the trend of drastic increases in global temperatures,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

“Anthropogenic emissions are ultimately the main driver of these rising temperatures,” he added, referring to human-made emissions.

Gases, like carbon dioxide and methane, have a warming effect on the world due to their ability to trap heat. The increasing amount of these in the atmosphere due to the use of fossil fuels, like coal, oil and gas, is causing the planet to heat up.

The world needs to rapidly reduce fossil fuel usage to prevent drastic climate change, which would lead to more heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and floods, and would have a significant impact on access to food and water.

However, there are many areas in which the climate crisis is already being felt, which will require adaptation measures, such as preparing cities for heatwaves and floods.

‘Foretaste of the future’

July has seen wildfires, flooding and heatwaves across the world. In Europe, Greece, Italy and Spain, in particular, have been badly affected by wildfires, with Greek islands like Corfu and Rhodes having to be evacuated.

But scientists are warning this is just the beginning.

“The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is unfortunately the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future,” said Petteri Taalas, the secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organisation.

“The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must,” he added.

Similarly, EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius responded to the record temperatures, saying “the science is clear”.

“There are no magic solutions to the climate crisis. But it’s possible to tackle it if we prioritize the EU Green Deal consistently in every country in Europe and the world,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Flattening this curve is in our hands,” he added.

July 2023 only the beginning

This year, 6 July became the hottest day on record, meaning the daily average global mean surface air temperature surpassed the previous record, set in August 2016. The days either side of it were close runners up.

Alongside this, in the first and third week of July, global mean temperature temporarily exceeded 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. This is the level countries aim to limit global warming to under the Paris Agreement.

However, this does not mean the world will permanently exceed the 1.5°C warming level laid out in the Paris Agreement as this refers to long-term warming over many years.

According to predictions by the World Meteorological Organisation, there is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record and a 66% chance of temporarily exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one of the five years.

The year 2023 has also sparked concerns about marine heatwaves, which can kill marine life and interrupt migratory patterns as well as impact weather patterns and coastal communities. From May onwards, the global average sea surface temperature has been at unprecedented levels for the time of year.