World records hottest day amid global heatwave

While Namibians endure winter, the world experienced its hottest day, with parts of the Mediterranean facing extreme wildfire risks. Data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that Sunday saw the highest average temperature on Earth, exceeding last year’s record. Global temperatures have hit or gone beyond a critical climate threshold for 12 months, highlighting the challenge of limiting global warming to below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Meanwhile, the BBC reports that on Monday, the global average surface air temperature climbed to 17.15°C, surpassing the previous record of 17.09°C set the day before. This new high exceeds the record from July 2023 and may be broken again within the week. Many regions, including the Mediterranean, Russia, and Canada, are experiencing severe heatwaves. Climate change is contributing to these rising temperatures, primarily due to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels that warm the Earth’s atmosphere.

“While fluctuations are expected, ongoing warming trends will likely continue to break records, pushing us further into unknown territory,” notes Prof. Rebecca Emerton from the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Although the El Niño climate phenomenon, which intensified heat during the first half of the year, has subsided, its impact has already been felt.

Extreme heat poses significant health risks, with thousands of heat-related deaths reported annually. The World Health Organization indicates that between 2000 and 2019, nearly half a million deaths per year were attributable to heat.

This week, China has issued heat alerts, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in central and northwestern regions. Russia is dealing with wildfires in Siberia, while Spain and Greece have faced prolonged high temperatures. In the US, over 40 million people experienced dangerous temperatures on Tuesday, and wildfires have erupted in western states.

The global average temperature usually peaks in July or August during summer in the northern hemisphere.