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EU and UN agencies in chorus: 'July 2023 hottest month ever globally'

Data from the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service and the UN's World Meteorological Organisation speak for themselves: July 2023 could easily become the hottest month ever globally.

In fact, according to the findings, the slope that the world is taking is precisely the one that was hoped to be avoided. Indeed, it appears that the average global temperature has already, hopefully momentarily, crossed the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold compared to the pre-industrial level (1850-1900); this during the first and third weeks of July.

At the moment, it appears that the average global temperature in July was 16.95 degrees Celsius, slightly above the previous record (16.63 in July 2019).

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July 2023 hottest month ever globally
Data from the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service and the UN's World Meteorological Organisation speak for themselves: July 2023 could easily become the hottest month ever globally.
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Exceeded 1.5 degree increase over pre-industrial levels
In fact, according to surveys, the slope the world is taking is precisely the one that was hoped to be avoided. Indeed, it appears that the global average temperature has already, hopefully momentarily, crossed the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold compared to the pre-industrial level (1850-1900); this during the first and third weeks of July.
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The global average temperature at the moment
Currently, it appears that the average global temperature in July was 16.95 degrees, slightly higher than the previous record (16.63 in July 2019).
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Heat waves and fires the main causes
Both Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organisation are trying to explain this situation, which may also be temporary: "These temperatures have been correlated with heat waves in much of North America, Asia and Europe, which, together with the fires in Canada and Greece, have had major impacts on people's health, the environment and economies," explains Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change service (C3S) to 'Skytg24'.
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The hottest day ever
Specifically, the highest temperatures ever were recorded on 6 July, with a daily average, over the entire surface of the globe, of 17.08 degrees, thus surpassing the record set on 13 August 2016 of 16.80 degrees.
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Experts' warnings for the future
The director of the Copernicus Climate Change service (C3S), states that this July's record temperatures will not be an isolated case until 2023, demonstrating the human impact on these changes: "Anthropogenic emissions are ultimately the main driver of these rising temperatures. July's record is unlikely to remain isolated this year; C3S's seasonal forecasts indicate that temperatures over land areas are likely to be well above average, exceeding the climatology's 80th percentile for the time of year".
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Confirmation of climate change
The Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation, Petteri Taalas, explains to 'Sky tg24' that "the extreme weather that 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. Climate action is not a luxury, but a duty'.
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After the hottest month, there will be the hottest year
According to the data and forecasts made by the WMO, within the next five years we will also record 'the hottest year ever globally'. This event, within the mentioned timeframe, is 98% likely according to the organisation. Furthermore, there is a 66% probability of temporarily exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average for at least one of the five years.
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