July began with world’s hottest week on record, says UN; warns of ‘devastating impact’
The beginning of July was the hottest week on record for the planet, with global temperature records tumbling due to climate change and El Nino.
As climate change becomes an increasingly significant concern, the month of July began with the earth's hottest ever week. Both land and water records are being broken repeatedly with the World Meteorological Organization flagging "potentially devastating impacts on ecosystems and the environment" on Monday. The update comes after a series of scorching days saw global temperature records tumble.
A statement from the specialised UN agency explained that climate change and the early stages of the El Nino weather pattern had also driven the warmest June on record.
“We are in uncharted territory and we can expect more records to fall as El Nino develops further and these impacts will extend into 2024. This is worrying news for the planet,” said WMO director Christopher Hewitt.
The world has warmed an average of nearly 1.2 C since the mid-1800s, unleashing extreme weather including more intense heatwaves, more severe droughts in some areas and storms made fiercer by rising seas. This year sea surface temperatures have hit unprecedented levels this year, while Antarctic sea ice has shrunk to a record low.
Alarm bells had started ringing last week as sweltering heat blanketed much of the planet. On Thursday, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Thursday that June 2023 had smashed all previous records by a substantial margin. It was the third time in less than a week that the ‘world's hottest day’ record had been broken.
The past few weeks have been marked with a slew of natural catastrophes - from a drought in Spain to fierce heat waves in China as well the United States. A third heatwave recently killed more than 100 people in Mexico.
Meanwhile, Switzerland said on Monday it experienced its hottest year on record in 2022 with small glaciers “practically disappearing”. A record-setting 6% of the remaining ice melted away from Swiss glaciers in 2022.
As well as withering crops, melting glaciers and raising the risk of wildfires, higher-than-normal temperatures also cause health problems ranging from heatstroke and dehydration to cardiovascular stress. Research published on Monday found that more than 61,000 people had died due to the heat during Europe's record-breaking summer last year.
(With inputs from agencies)
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Business NewsNewsWorldJuly began with world’s hottest week on record, says UN; warns of ‘devastating impact’
First Published:11 Jul 2023, 02:07 AM IST
- Top Gainers
- Top Losers
- 52 Week High