Aug. 14 (UPI) — July was the hottest month on record in 143 years, as Americans felt “the effects of the climate crisis,” scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York announced Monday.
According to NASA, July 2023 was on average 0.43 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than any other July on record. It was also 2.1 degrees warmer than the average July between 1951 and 1980, according to GISS which defines “normal” temperatures as lasting several decades, typically 30 years. The five hottest Julys since 1880 have all occurred in the past five years, NASA says.
“This July was not just warmer than any previous July — it was the warmest month in our record, which goes back to 1880,” NASA’s GISS Director Gavin Schmidt said.
“The science is clear this isn’t normal. Alarming warming around the world is driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. And that rise in average temperature is fueling dangerous extreme heat that people are experiencing here at home and worldwide,” Schmidt added.
Some parts of the world were hotter than others and experienced temperatures around 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit above average. Tens of millions of people in parts of North America, South America, North Africa and the Antarctic Peninsula spent July under heat warnings, as hundreds suffered heat-related illnesses and deaths.
“Climate change is impacting people and ecosystems around the world, and we expect many of these impacts to escalate with continued warming,” said Katherine Calvin, chief scientist and senior climate advisor at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Last week, the European Union’s climate monitor also called July 2023 the hottest month around the globe with 29 of the warmest days ever recorded.
Copernicus, which tracks worldwide climate data for the EU, said daily surface air temperatures have risen drastically since 1940 with 2023 being the hottest summer on record.
NASA blames high sea surface temperatures and El Niño in the eastern tropical Pacific for contributing to July’s record heat. NASA expects to see the biggest impacts of El Niño — which can cause severe storms in some areas and drought in others — in February, March and April of 2024.
“Since day one, President Biden has treated the climate crisis as the existential threat of our time,” said Ali Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor. “Against the backdrop of record high temperatures, wildfires and floods, NASA’s analysis puts into context the urgency of President Biden’s unprecedented climate leadership.”
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson agreed, in a post on X.
“NASA data confirms what billions around the world literally felt: temperatures in July 2023 made it the hottest month on record. In every corner of the country, Americans are right now experiencing firsthand the effects of the climate crisis, underscoring the urgency of President Biden’s historic climate agenda,” Nelson said.
“The science is clear. We must act now to protect our communities and planet; it’s the only one we have.”
