July 2021 was officially the hottest month on record. This July slightly exceeded the previous three months in 2016, 2019 and 2020 that held the title. The fact that all this has happened so recently screams climate change.
"In this case, the first place is the worst place," said Rick Spinrad, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA confirmed the new temperature record today, and Spinrad said it was "increasing the worrying pace of global climate change."
(2 or 5) #July 2021 global surface temp was 1.67 ° F (0.93 ° C) above avg - making it the hottest July recorded to date.https://t.co/xKGLizOml4 via @NOAANCEIclimate #StateOfClimate report #July2021 pic.twitter.com/8hHkF8ndVM
- NOAA (@NOAA) August 13, 2021
Scientists have more evidence than ever of linking climate change to more extreme weather, especially for heat. By burning fossil fuels, people have been affected by the weather around the world, says a new major UN study for the climate published earlier this week. In almost every region of the world, except the polar regions, there has been an increase in extreme weather heat since the 1950s, according to the new report.
"Climate change is a problem here and now. "No one is safe and it is getting worse," said Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, at a news conference on August 9.
While last month was the hottest month in the world since measurements began 142 years ago, the heat was particularly high in some areas. July broke the Earth's record temperature for the entire Northern Hemisphere, according to NOAA. Asia also had the hottest July on record.
Such unprecedented heat can have a big impact even in typically cooler areas, especially since the people and infrastructure there have never had to adapt to such hot summers - until today.
Southwestern Canada and the Pacific Northwest, for example, had sudden recurring heatwaves this summer that destroyed roads, killed hundreds of people, sent thousands more to emergency departments, and fueled mass fires.
The most severe heatwave that occurred in late June would be "virtually impossible" without climate change, an international team of researchers has found. It was also declared the "most extreme" summer heatwave in North America since records began to be set.
August was also hot. Another heatwave was recorded in the Pacific Northwest.
Europe may have had its hottest day on August 11, when mercury reached 48,8 degrees Celsius in Sicily. The World Meteorological Organization is still working to verify this record. But if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, it is likely that we will see more and more new high temperature records.
