Earth experienced its hottest June on record, showcasing the ongoing trend of global warming, according to meteorologists. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that June’s global average temperature was 1.89 degrees Celsius above the 20th Century average, surpassing the previous record by nearly a quarter of a degree. Other weather monitoring systems, including NASA, Berkeley Earth, and Europe’s Copernicus, had already declared June as the hottest on record. NOAA’s data stretches back 174 years, making it the gold standard for record-keeping.
The warming trend is not limited to the land; the global oceans set temperature records for the third consecutive month in June. The sea surface temperature records in the Caribbean region and the United Kingdom were also broken. The first half of 2023 is the third hottest January through June period on record, behind 2016 and 2020, according to NOAA.
NOAA predicts a 20% chance that 2023 will be the hottest year on record. However, outside scientists, such as Brown University’s Kim Cobb, forecast a close competition between 2023 and 2016 and 2020 for the hottest year on record.
The record-breaking temperatures can be attributed to long-term warming caused by the emission of heat-trapping gases from burning fossil fuels, as well as a natural El Nino event. El Nino warms parts of the Pacific and has a global impact on weather patterns, adding extra heat to the already rising global temperatures. NOAA global analysis chief, Russ Vose, stated that human-caused warming has a more significant long-term impact than El Nino.
The effects of climate change, including extreme fires, pollution, and flooding, are becoming more apparent. Scientists believe that these extreme weather events will continue to worsen as climate change progresses. According to climate scientist Friederike Otto of the Imperial College of London, the situation will only improve when society stops relying on fossil fuels.
The NOAA data and predictions indicate that the warming trend will persist. July is typically the hottest month of the year, and this year’s temperatures are expected to surpass the previous records. If the current El Nino event persists into the winter months, 2024 could be even hotter than this year.
The news of Earth’s record-breaking temperatures highlights the urgent need for action to combat climate change and transition to sustainable energy sources. The impact of rising temperatures is already being felt by individuals and ecosystems, with serious consequences projected for the future.
