According to preliminary data, the first week of July was the hottest ever recorded in the world. The World Meteorological Organization speaks of “worrying news for the planet”.
The first week of July was probably the hottest week in the world on record. “According to preliminary data, the world had its hottest week on record,” said the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Record temperatures are being measured both on land and in the oceans, with “potentially devastating impacts on ecosystems and the environment”. “We are in uncharted territory,” said WMO director of climate services Christopher Hewitt.
Other new records can be expected as the El Niño weather phenomenon develops, with repercussions well into 2024. Hewitt: “This is worrying news for the planet.”
Already in June it registers temperatures
The European Earth observation program Copernicus told the AFP news agency that, according to its data, last week was probably the hottest since records began in 1940.
It is the latest in a series of records this year. Climate change and the onset of the El Niño phenomenon had already made the previous month the warmest June so far.
El Niño occurs every two to seven years and can increase temperatures around the world as a result of climate change. The climate phenomenon is characterized by the warming of surface waters in the Pacific Ocean.