Data from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction show that Monday, July 3, was the warmest day ever observed on Earth – which is mainly due to a developing El Nino cycle and climate change, according to scientists.
As heatwaves sweltered around the globe, the average worldwide temperature rose to 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking the previous record of 16.92C (62.46F) set in August 2016.
Over the past few weeks, an extreme heat dome has plagued the southern United States, while a persistent heat wave with temperatures exceeding 35C (95F) persisted in China and temperatures in North Africa have been about 50 C (122 F). Even Antarctica, which is presently experiencing winter, had unusually high temperatures. Recently, the Argentine Islands of the white continent’s Vernadsky Research Base in Ukraine also surpassed its July temperature record with 8.7C (47.6F).
“This is not a milestone we should be celebrating,” said climate scientist Friederike Otto of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at UK’s Imperial College London, as reported by Reuters. “It’s a death sentence for people and ecosystems.”
