“We are now in truly uncharted territory.”
Mr. Fahrenheit
For the second day in a row, the Earth shattered its record for the hottest day ever recorded.
On Sunday, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) found that our planet had set a new record, averaging 62.76 degrees Fahrenheit.
Just a day later, the institution announced the record had already been smashed, recording a new high of 62.87 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s a dire situation. Oceans are experiencing unprecedented temperatures, massive storms supercharged by climate change are wreaking havoc, and people are dying around the world as a result of crushing heat waves.
And it’s only set to get worse, with experts warning that the Earth has already passed its point of no return.
Off the Charts
The previous record, of 62.74 degrees Fahrenheit, was recorded back in 2016, according to the C3S.
“What is truly staggering is how large the difference is between the temperature of the last 13 months and the previous temperature records,” said C3S director Carlo Buontempo in a statement. “We are now in truly uncharted territory and as the climate keeps warming, we are bound to see new records being broken in future months and years.”
These new records come with some highly dangerous side effects.
“What we should care more about is the potential increase in extreme weather, such as heavy rainfall events or heat waves that come along with the global warming,” Oxford climate scientist Nicholas Leach told the New York Times.
The C3S noted in its press release that the latest records were likely caused by “much above-average temperatures over large parts of Antarctica.” The extent of Antarctic sea ice is also incredibly low, resulting in “much above-average temperatures over parts of the Southern Ocean.”
The institution also noted that there’s a good chance 2024 will be the hottest year on record, but it’s still too early to tell if it’ll beat 2023.
Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report, indicating that we’re looking down the barrel of a climate crisis.
“Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the time. “Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once.”
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