Global temperature record broken as heatwaves rage worldwide

Data from the European climate monitoring service, Copernicus, indicates that 21 July was the hottest day in history. The average temperature on our planet was 17.1 degrees Celsius.

The record temperature from 21 July is only slightly higher than the previous record, which was noted on 6 July of the previous year, and was also 17.1°C. Carlo Buontempo, the director of the Copernicus service, predicts, however, that the beginning of this week may surpass Sunday's record. The cause of this situation is heatwaves that continue to rage worldwide.

Buontempo points out how much the temperature has differed over the last 13 months from previous records. He emphasises that every month since June 2023 has been the hottest on the planet since measurements began when compared with the same month in previous years.

Experts predict that 2024 may turn out to be the warmest year since measurements began. This forecast is influenced by climate change and the natural weather phenomenon El Niño, which ended in April. As a result, temperatures this year have become even higher.

Buontempo notes that "due to the increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, in the coming months or years we will certainly witness the breaking of new records."

Copernicus data shows that before July 2023, the previous record for the average daily temperature in the world was 16.8°C and was reached on 13 August 2016.

At the beginning of July this year, Copernicus announced that the average global temperature over the past 12 months is "the highest ever recorded" and is 1.64°C above the pre-industrial average from 1850–1900.