Global temperatures experienced a marginal decrease after two consecutive days of record highs, with Tuesday marking the world's second-hottest day on record. The European climate service Copernicus reported that Tuesday's global average temperature was 0.01 Celsius (0.01 Fahrenheit) lower than Monday's all-time high of 17.16 degrees Celsius (62.8 degrees Fahrenheit), which was 0.06 degrees Celsius (0.1 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than Sunday.
All three days surpassed Earth's previous hottest day in 2023. Climate scientist Chris Field from Stanford University expressed concern over the frequent occurrence of hottest-day-ever records, highlighting the lethal impact of heat waves and emphasizing the unexpected nature of this year's temperature records.
Despite the end of the last El Nino in April, typically associated with high temperatures, the recent heatwave has shattered previous records. Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo remarked on the unprecedented nature of the current temperature trends, with Monday surpassing Sunday's record and further predictions of new records being set.
Before July 3, 2023, the hottest day recorded by Copernicus was 16.8 degrees Celsius (62.2 degrees Fahrenheit) in August 2016. However, in the last 13 months alone, this record has been broken 59 times, indicating a significant shift towards warmer temperatures.
Experts attribute the current heatwave to various factors, including greenhouse gas emissions, warming of the Pacific, increased solar activity, undersea volcanic activity, and reduced heat-reflecting particles in the atmosphere due to marine fuel pollution regulations.
The rise in global temperatures has led to a concerning increase in heat-related deaths, with public health experts emphasizing the preventable nature of these fatalities. The impact of heatwaves on human health, as seen in regions like the Pacific Northwest and India, underscores the urgent need for climate action and adaptation measures.
As the world continues to grapple with rising temperatures and extreme weather events, the importance of addressing climate change and its far-reaching consequences becomes increasingly evident.
