July was recorded as the second hottest month in world history

Last Month Was Recorded as the Second Hottest in World History

According to data released on Thursday by the European Union's Climate Change Monitoring Agency (Copernicus), the average temperature throughout July was 16.91 degrees Celsius.

The temperature difference between July 2023, which went down in history as the hottest month ever recorded, and this year is quite small. In 2023, the thermometer reached 16.95 degrees Celsius.

Julien Nicolas, a climate scientist at Copernicus, stated, "We experienced the two hottest days ever recorded in July. Therefore, July was a record-breaking month in its own right, even though the average for the entire month was slightly lower than July 2023."

This data indicates that the 13-month streak of global temperature records that began last June has come to an end. However, Copernicus experts note that the slight difference observed between 2023 and 2024 does not challenge the overall context of global warming.

"The consequences of global warming did not begin at the start of this series. We have been observing these consequences for years, and the end of this record streak does not mean the end of global warming's effects," Nicolas warned, adding, "Heatwaves and extreme weather events existed before this series began and will continue after it ends."

A Transition Period

The climate scientist explains that there is a reason for the high temperatures observed in recent months.

Nicolas points out that the global increase coincided with the development of the El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific.

El Niño is a climate event defined by the warming of sea surface temperatures, particularly in the central and eastern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

However, the El Niño phenomenon ended a few months ago. The Pacific is now in neutral weather conditions before the arrival of La Niña, the cold counterpart to El Niño.

Nicolas explained, "The slightly lower temperatures we are observing compared to last year are part of the transition from the above-average warm conditions in the equatorial Pacific due to El Niño to the expected below-average cold conditions by the end of the year."

The arrival of La Niña will act as a brake on average global temperatures. However, studies and predictions differ regarding the intensity of the upcoming phenomenon.

This marks a record and a turning point, as the average global temperature has reached or is on the verge of surpassing the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels, set by the Paris Climate Agreement. Nicolas emphasizes that this is the limit that should not be exceeded to avoid "the most devastating consequences of global warming."

According to the climate scientist, it is still unclear whether the records observed in recent months "correspond to a tipping point or a radical shift in the climate system." However, Nicolas notes that "it will take a few years to truly confirm this."