UN chief Antonio Guterres says “climate breakdown has begun” after the Northern Hemisphere saw its hottest summer on record. August was the third month in a row to set a global monthly heat record.
This year has seen the hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever measured, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
“Our planet has just endured a season of simmering — the hottest summer on record. Climate breakdown has begun,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday.
Scientists have said the burning of coal, oil and natural gas for human activity is driving ever-higher temperatures around the globe as greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere and hold in heat. This year, El Nino, a temporary warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean that occurs naturally, has also played a role in raising the global temperature.
Last month was the hottest August by far ever recorded with modern equipment, according to WMO and the European climate service Copernicus.
It was also the second-hottest month measured, exceeded only by July 2023, they announced.
And it is the third month in a row to set a monthly heat record, Copernicus said.
August was about 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial averages, scientists said.
That temperature rise is the threshold that the 2015 Paris Climate Accord agreed to target as a maximum aspirational average for the world. However, reaching 1.5 C for a brief period does not yet mean a failure to stick to that target.
The average sea surface temperatures also hit a record level in August, at 20.9 C.
So far, 2023 is the second-hottest year on record, behind 2016, according to Copernicus, but could well end up being the hottest, with September so far seeing above-average temperatures in many regions.
