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Monday was recorded as the hottest day ever globally, surpassing the previous record set just the day before, as the world sizzles in extreme heat, according to the European climate change service.
Provisional satellite data published by Copernicus on Wednesday showed that Monday exceeded the previous day’s record by 0.06 degrees Celsius (0.1 degree Fahrenheit).
Climate scientists indicate that the world is now as warm as it was 125,000 years ago due to human-caused climate change. Although scientists cannot confirm that Monday was the hottest day during that period, average temperatures have not been this high since long before humans developed agriculture.
The rise in temperatures in recent decades aligns with climate scientists’ projections that continued fossil fuel consumption would lead to increased global warming.
Copernicus’ preliminary data shows that the global average temperature on Monday was 17.15 degrees Celsius, or 62.87 degrees Fahrenheit. The previous record, set just a year ago, was 16.8 degrees Celsius, or 62.24 degrees Fahrenheit, in 2016.
While 2024 has been exceptionally warm, a warmer-than-usual Antarctic winter pushed this week into new territory, according to Copernicus. A similar event occurred on the southern continent last year when the record was set in early July.
Copernicus records date back to 1940, but other global measurements by the United States and United Kingdom governments extend even further, to 1880. Many scientists, using these records along with data from tree rings and ice cores, assert that last year’s record highs were the hottest the planet has been in about 120,000 years. Now, the first six months of 2024 have surpassed even those records.
