In the Antarctic, the extent of sea ice remained at a record low level for August with about 12% less ice than average, the report said.Īrctic sea ice extent also diminished in August and was 10% below average, but that's far off a record minimum seen in August 2012, the report found. Meanwhile, record-breaking high sea surface temperatures were registered globally, Copernicus said. For long stretches, southern Europe was hit by staggering heat waves while large parts of northern and central Europe were unseasonably cool for much of July and August. The levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are the highest in human history, scientists say.Īlso in its report, Copernicus said Europe's average temperature between June and August was the fifth warmest ever measured at 67.3 F. G20 summits are meant to bring world leaders together with the goal of solving humanity's most pressing problems, with global warming chief among them.īut action to stop carbon emissions has faltered amid deepening divisions among the world's superpowers and the upending of the global order caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Ĭarbon emissions are rising again after they dipped during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, according to data tracked by Our World in Data, an Oxford University research group. His statement came on the eve of a Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, the capital of India. We can still avoid the worst of climate chaos - and we don’t have a moment to lose.” Leaders must turn up the heat now for climate solutions. “Surging temperatures demand a surge in action. “Scientists have long warned what our fossil fuel addiction will unleash,” he said. “Climate breakdown has begun,” warned António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, in response to the new report. On Wednesday, parts of Europe once again saw disastrous extreme weather after massive amounts of rain caused extensive flooding and flash floods in Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, killing at least seven people. Northeastern Greece in recent weeks has been ravaged by the largest wildfire in Europe in years. Massive wildfires have scorched vast areas of Canada, leaving many American cities under clouds of smoke, and burned across southern Europe. “Global temperature records continue to tumble in 2023, with the warmest August following on from the warmest July and June leading to the warmest boreal summer in our data record going back to 1940,” said Samantha Burgess, the deputy director at Copernicus.Ĭopernicus bases its average temperatures on measurements taken between 19, relying on a fleet of satellites and billions of readings at weather stations around the planet.Īlong with heat waves and dry conditions in many parts of the world, this El Niño cycle already has brought with it dangerous extreme weather, including severe rainstorms, and helped fuel devastating wildfires. El Niño periods can last several years and are associated with heat and unpredictable weather.Īll this heat has made this summer the hottest in the Northern Hemisphere since its dataset starts in 1940, Copernicus said. This year is on track to become the hottest or second-hottest year on record, which was set in 2016 during a powerful El Niño event.Įl Niño is a naturally occurring weather phenomenon that oscillates with its opposite, La Niña. July was the hottest month ever recorded globally and last month was the hottest August on record, the agency said.
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