In July 2023, Earth experienced what is likely its hottest temperatures in modern history. Here’s why this is happening.
We are only a few weeks into summer, but nearly the entire world has been impacted by searing temperatures. Just as July began, Earth’s global average temperature hit an all-time high. And for the ensuing days, the record was broken again. On July 4, the global average temperature climbed to 17.1C (63F), becoming one of the hottest days in recent history. The previous record, set in 2016, was 16.92C (62.4F).
Across the United States, over 120 million Americans were put under heat advisory (nearly one-third of the population). In some areas, daily temperatures reached triple-digits (in Fahrenheit), and heat indexes were forecasted at nearly 48C (120F) across the southern United States. This heat extended into Mexico, as high temperatures killed at least 112 people between March and June 2023.
Around the world, places continue to endure relentless rises in seasonal temperatures. Last summer, was Europe’s hottest ever, further exacerbating widespread drought and contributing to thousands of heat-related deaths. This year, parts of Europe and North Africa recorded temperatures as high as they normally are in July and August, but in April. As Europe continues to warm faster than any other continent in the world, its summers are only likely to get worse.
In Asia, China continues to reel from earlier arriving and wider spread heat waves. In late June, Beijing recorded one of its hottest days ever as temperatures reached 41.1C (106F). In parts of Uttar Pradesh, India, temperatures soared to 47C (116F), with hospitals feeling the impact.
These extreme changes in seasonal temperatures are directly related to the onset of natural climate fluctuations like El Nino, which has a heating effect, as well as human-driven activities that warm the planet’s surface temperature, most notably, the burning of fossil fuels.
The impacts of climate change are unfolding right in front of our eyes. Unless we do something drastic to stop the warming of our planet, these heat waves are not forecasted to go away — and 2023 may break another record, become the hottest year ever record.
