July 2023 set to be hottest month on record
As the author of this sits in a cold office in Coventry, UK, wearing a fleece to try to keep warm, data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that the first three weeks of July were the warmest on record and the whole month will probably match this record.
There have been heatwaves (not in England evidently but) in large parts of North America, Asia and Europe which, along with wildfires in countries including Canada and Greece, have had major impacts on people’s health, the environment and economies.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said: “For vast parts of North America, Asia, Africa and Europe it is a cruel summer. For the entire planet it is a disaster. And for scientists it is unequivocal: humans are to blame. All this is entirely consistent with predictions and repeated warnings. The only surprise is the speed of the change.”
And it’s not just the land that suffers from wild fires and floods in various countries. Since May, the global average sea surface temperature has been well above previously observed values for the time of the year.
World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas said: “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. The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must.”