August was world's joint-hottest month on record, scientists say
Copernicus said record sea surface temperatures and a strong El Nino helped drive the hottest August on record, with global air temperatures 1.65 C above pre-industrial levels.
- Earth cooked to its hottest month on record in August, according to European climate service Copernicus, with global temperatures reaching 1.65 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and exceeding the 1.5 degrees Celsius Paris climate agreement threshold.
- While El Niño contributed to the heat, scientists emphasized fossil fuel emissions as the overwhelming driver, with Samantha Burgess, strategic climate lead for Copernicus, noting El Niño adds only one or two tenths of a degree Celsius compared to heat-trapping gases from burning coal, oil and gas.
- The Northern Hemisphere experienced its hottest summer on record, with U.S. summer temperatures averaging 23.54 degrees Celsius, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced summer in the Lower 48 states was hotter than the peak of the devastating Dust Bowl in 1936.
- Samantha Burgess warned climate impacts have shifted from abstract concerns to directly disrupting daily lives through school closures, hospital overwhelm and infrastructure failure, stating "the reality is we will get more of these conditions that we've seen this summer."
- Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather, Berkeley Earth, projects 2026 will likely beat 2024 as the warmest year on record, with 2027 potentially reaching 1.8 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels as El Niño strengthens in coming months.
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The planet has probably never experienced such temperatures in 125,000 years, according to scientists, and the human and environmental consequences are worsening everywhere.
According to the EU climate service Copernicus, August is similar to July 2023 with an average global temperature of around 17 degrees.
The world average temperature in August was 1.65 °C above the pre-industrial average, according to the European Weather Service Copernicus.
Radio France Internationale
August hottest month ever recorded globally: EU monitor
In response to the assessment by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the UN warned that until humanity weaned off fossil fuels, the planet would only push deeper into uncharted territory. Copernicus observations go back to 1940 but other evidence -- such as ice cores, tree rings and coral skeletons -- allow scientists to place today's climate against a much longer historical context. "Humans haven't seen temperatures as hot as today for, arg…
A hotter planet: August heat smashes climate records
Earth experienced its hottest month ever in August, surpassing climate thresholds. This extreme heat resulted from human-caused climate change and a strong El Nino. Global ocean temperatures also tied their all-time record for the warmest month. The United States recorded its hottest summer, breaking records from the Dust Bowl era. Scientists warn that continued fossil fuel burning will lead to more record-breaking heat.
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