The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service says July has been confirmed as Earth’s hottest month on record, with a global average temperature of 16.95 degrees Celsius. That is 0.33 degrees higher than the previous record month of July 2019.

Ocean temperatures were also higher than ever recorded.

“We just witnessed global air temperatures, and global ocean surface temperatures set new all-time records in July. These records have dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events,’’ Copernicus deputy director Samantha Burgess warned.

The world’s hottest day to date was July 6, 2023, with a global average temperature of 17.08 degrees, according to the data.

The Copernicus records only go back to 1940, but researchers can build an index of historical climate change using tree rings and air bubbles in glaciers.

This research suggested that July’s temperatures were unprecedented going back thousands of years, said Carlos Buontempo.

Buontempo served as director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in late July.

According to Copernicus, the temperature over land in July was 0.72 degrees above the average from 1991 to 2020 globally.

Also, it has 0.51 degrees, higher for the ocean temperature about 10 metres below the surface.

The Copernicus data is based on computer-generated analyses that include measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.

(dpa/NAN)