According to a report from the Associated Press, the Earth is experiencing the hottest week on record, with global temperatures reaching an unofficial high for the second consecutive day.
The Earth’s average temperature remained at a record high on Wednesday, marking the latest in a series of climate-change-driven extremes. According to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, the average global temperature was 17.18 degrees Celsius (62.9 degrees Fahrenheit), matching the previous day’s record. This follows a previous record of 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit) set on Monday.
Scientists have been warning for months that 2023 could bring record-breaking heat due to human-caused climate change, primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels. They also noted that the natural cooling phenomenon known as La Nina is transitioning to El Nino, which is characterized by warming oceans. The North Atlantic has experienced record warmth this year.
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Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field emphasised that this record is further evidence of global warming and its implications for a hotter future. University of Maine climate scientist Sean Birkle, creator of the Climate Reanalyzer said that the daily figures are unofficial but they provide a snapshot of the warming trend. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Sarah Kapnick plans to consider these figures for its official record calculations.
Although the dataset used for the unofficial record only goes back to 1979, NOAA’s chief scientist said the world is likely seeing the hottest day in “several hundred years that we’ve experienced.”
While scientists typically rely on longer-term measurements to track global warming, the daily temperature highs indicate that climate change is pushing into uncharted territory.
The heat is impacting various regions, with 38 million Americans under some form of heat alert. Even communities not accustomed to extreme heat, like North Grenville in Ontario, Canada, have had to convert ice hockey rinks into cooling centers.
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The global temperature records may not seem exceedingly hot when compared to local temperatures near 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius). However, Tuesday’s global high was nearly 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, they are significantly higher than the average from 1979 to 2000.
High-temperature records have also been broken in Quebec, Peru, and Beijing, while cities across the United States, from Medford, Oregon, to Tampa, Florida, are experiencing all-time highs.
(With inputs from AP)
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Updated: 06 Jul 2023, 01:32 PM IST