July was by far the Earth’s hottest month ever recorded, scientists have confirmed.
The global average temperature reached 16.95C - beating the previous record set in 2019 by a substantial 0.33C.
The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which made the announcement on Tuesday, said the record had “dire consequences for both people and the planet.”
Reacting to the announcement, Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto said: “We should not care about July because it’s a record, but because it won’t be a record for long.
“It’s an indicator of how much we have changed the climate. We are living in a very different world, one that our societies are not adapted to live in very well."
Severe heatwaves baked southern Europe while raging wildfires forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists from several Greek islands.
There were also high temperatures in South American countries, with some regions experiencing the same heat as in the Mediterranean despite being in winter.
July is estimated to have been around 1.5C warmer than the average for 1850-1900, Copernicus said, and 0.72C warmer than the 1991-2020 average.
This does not mean the goals of the Paris Agreement, which mandates countries to pursue efforts to limit global warming to below 1.5C, have failed as that refers to an average spreading over multiple years.
Ocean temperatures also reached record levels last month after running unusually high since April.
Buoyed by the El Nino effect, global average sea surface temperatures were 0.51C above the 1991-2020 average.
The North Atlantic was 1.05C above average in July, with marine heatwaves occurring south of Greenland, in the Caribbean and in the Mediterranean.
Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, said: “We just witnessed global air temperatures and global ocean surface temperatures set new all-time records in July.
“These records have dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events.”
Antarctic sea ice has also been at record lows this July, freezing less than in any other winter since satellites began observations in 1979.
Scientists have said that if greenhouse gas emissions are not controlled, extreme weather will increasingly damage Antarctic ecosystems which will then impact on the rest of the world.
Dr Burgess said: “2023 is currently the third warmest year to date at 0.43C above the recent average, with the average global temperature in July at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
“Even if this is only temporary, it shows the urgency for ambitious efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main driver behind these records."
It comes as world leaders were warned on Tuesday by the United Nations’ chief climate change scientist to “stick to” the shift from petrol and diesel to electric cars to tackle global warming.
In an exclusive interview with the Standard, Professor Jim Skea said that political leaders had a “particular responsibility” as the “ringmasters or ringmistresses” to lead the battle against global warming, which he warned may be happening faster than expected.
