August Tied as Hottest Month on Record, EU Agency Says
The EU climate service reports August matched July 2023 as the warmest month globally, with temperatures 1.65C above pre-industrial levels amid El Niño.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- August tied with July 2023 as the joint-hottest month ever recorded by Copernicus.
- Temperatures reached 1.65C above pre-industrial levels, exceeding the critical 1.5C threshold.
- Strengthening El Niño and fossil fuels continue to drive extreme global heat.
August has tied with July 2023 as the joint-hottest month ever recorded globally, according to data released by the European Union's Copernicus climate service. The milestone was propelled by a combination of ongoing climate change and the rising influence of El Niño across the Pacific atmosphere.
Average temperatures for the month surpassed pre-industrial levels by 1.65 degrees Celsius, pushing past the critical 1.5-degree threshold that nations agreed upon to avert the worst impacts of global warming. While a single month exceeding this limit does not mean it has been permanently breached, researchers emphasize it highlights a concerning long-term trend.
The record-breaking month also capped the warmest summer on record for western Europe, surpassing the deadly heatwaves experienced in 2003. A similar pattern emerged in the United Kingdom, which recorded its hottest summer since records commenced in 1884—a milestone the Met Office noted was made roughly 130 times more probable due to human-induced climate change.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Simon Stiell, the UN climate chief, stated that the new temperature records clearly demonstrate humanity's undeniable impact on the climate system. Alongside fossil fuel consumption, researchers pointed to the strengthening influence of El Niño, a natural climate pattern that warms the eastern Pacific and releases stored ocean heat into the atmosphere for roughly a year.
"Until we stop burning fossil fuels these records will continue to tumble, and the extremes will worsen faster than we are able to adapt."
Dr Clair Barnes, extreme weather researcher at Imperial College London
The current El Niño cycle is still strengthening and could evolve into one of the most powerful on record, according to the Copernicus team. Its peak impact on global temperatures is anticipated over the coming year, suggesting that the current wave of climate records may not have reached its peak yet.
Context and Analysis: El Niño is a recurring climate pattern tied to the Southern Oscillation (ENSO) that significantly alters global weather systems and ocean temperatures. Because its full atmospheric impact often lags behind its initial formation, the ongoing strengthening of this cycle signals that global temperature anomalies and extreme weather events could persist or intensify in the near future.
Dr Clair Barnes, an extreme weather researcher at Imperial College London, noted that these temperature figures carried a very real human cost. The extreme heat across the UK and Europe disrupted educational institutions, strained healthcare facilities, hampered food production, fueled devastating wildfires and droughts, and claimed tens of thousands of lives. She rejected the notion that these extreme summers have simply become the new normal, insisting that human action remains pivotal in curbing emissions.
Source: BBC Science & Environment
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