July was officially hottest month on record, scientists say 

After a month of scorching heat across the globe, scientists have officially labeled July as the hottest month on record in world history.

Copernicus Climate Change Service, a division of the European Union’s space program, announced Tuesday that July’s global average temperature was about 62.51 degrees Fahrenheit. This broke the old mark of about 61.93 degrees in July 2019.

“Record-breaking temperatures are part of the trend of drastic increases in global temperatures. Anthropogenic emissions are ultimately the main driver of these rising temperatures,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus Climate Change Service, in a statement.

“July’s record is unlikely to remain isolated this year, [Copernicus Climate Change Service’s] seasonal forecasts indicate that over land areas temperatures are likely to be well above average,” he added.

Late last month, the scientific organization and the World Meteorological Organization predicted July would be the hottest month on record. Now, with the official data in, the scientists have officially determined July 2023 was the hottest month dating at least 1940.

The service noted July was plagued with extreme weather events, like heat waves in Europe, North America and Asia, and wildfires in Canada and Greece. Overall, July was about 2.7 degrees warmer than preindustrial times, the service said.

“The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is unfortunately the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future,” World Meteorological Organization’s Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in a statement. “The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must.”

A separate report issued by science nonprofit Climate Central found that in July, human-caused global warming made the month hotter for 4 of 5 people worldwide.