World's hottest month in hundreds of years: NASA warns July 2023 likely to be the warmest month
NASA briefing with reporters. Daily temperature records have already been shattered this month, and extreme heatwaves are being observed globally in the US, Europe, and China.
"We are witnessing unprecedented changes worldwide - the heatwaves in the US, Europe, and China are setting new records consistently," he stated. Also read: Europe heatwave 2023: Is it safe to travel to Italy, France and Spain now? Can you claim refunds on cancelling plans? Furthermore, this extraordinary phenomenon cannot be solely attributed to the El Nino weather pattern, which "has only just emerged." Though El Nino plays a minor role, "what we're observing is the overall warming, occurring almost everywhere, especially in the oceans.
We've been observing record-breaking sea surface temperatures, even outside the tropics, for several months now," he added. Hence, the increase in temperatures cannot be solely attributed to the El Nino weather pattern; greenhouse gas emissions are contributing significantly, reported AFP.
"And we anticipate that this trend will continue because we keep releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere." The current situation increases the chances of 2023 becoming the hottest year on record, which Schmidt currently assesses as a "50-50 chance" based on his calculations, although some other scientists have placed the probability as high as 80 percent. Also read: Heatwave 2023: WHO issues directive as Europe, US battle sweltering temperatures “But we predict that 2024 will be an even hotter year because we'll be starting with the El Nino event building up now, which is expected to peak towards the end of this year," he said.
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