According to the new data shared by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, July was recorded as the hottest in human history. With the data of last month, 2021 is likely to rank among the world’s ten warmest years.
The data showed that the combined land and ocean surface temperature was 1.67 degrees F, above the 20th century average of 60.4 degrees F. This makes it the hottest July in the past 142 years. It was 0.02 degree F higher than the previous record that was set in July 2016. As per the experts, this is due to the long term impact of climate change. NOAA mentioned in a statement that July’s unenviable distinction is a cause of major concern. “
July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe”, said the NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad. The data mentioned that the July is Asia’s hottest month, while Europe had its second hottest July. North America, which is confronted with extreme heat, wildfire and droughts across much of the year, had its sixth highest July temperature. While Australia, had its fourth warmest July on record.
The Arctic sea ice extent was 18% below the average set between 1981 to 2010, the NOAA report said. It is the fourth smallest extent since the records from 1979. The burning of fossil fuels by humans has led to the heating up of planet to temperatures not witnessed on Earth in around 125,000 years.
This has pushed the world towards a dangerous breakdown in the climate and can only be prevented by cutting through the greenhouse gas emissions. This week, a weather station in Sicily recorded new all time high heat at 119.8 degrees in Europe. Greece also experienced the worst heat wave since 1987.
The global mean temperature for July 2021 was about 1.66 degrees above 1951-1980 July average, according to the analysis by NASA. The Northern Hemisphere, in particular, received extreme heat during July. According to the reports by NOAA, the land-surface temperature in Northern Hemisphere was 2.77 degrees above average, a major departure observed for the month.
The reports were from Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change. It stated that the human influences have clearly warmed the ocean, land and atmosphere. Around 234 scientists from 66 countries worked on the report. They have warned that the extreme weather will continue to get worse.