July\’s scorching peak sparks record climate chaos.
July’s Record‑Busting Heatwaves Show Climate Change Is Still on the Move
July finished as the third hottest month on record, continuing the streak of world‑wide temperature peaks that began in 2021. The European Copernicus Climate Change Service warned that the recent lull in maximum temperatures does not mean warming has stopped.
Heavy rains cut off high‑speed rail links in Pakistan and swamped northern China with flooding that killed hundreds. Wildfires in Canada, Scotland and Greece were stoked by a long‑lasting drought. Many Asian and Scandinavian nations logged new monthly averages that broke half‑century highs.
1.25 °C Above Pre‑Industrial Levels – A “Misleading” Dip?
The June dip that to some readers seemed promising was only a 1.25 °C increase above the 1850‑1900 baseline. 2023‑24 had warmed by more than 1.5 °C, the Paris Agreement target that caps the rise at a “relatively safe” level. Even a “deceptively small” bump has made heatwaves, floods and storms far more lethal.
- Temperatures exceeded 50 °C in the Gulf, Iraq and, for the first time, Turkey.
- China and Pakistan suffered torrential rains that killed hundreds.
- Spain recorded over a thousand heat‑death cases in July – half the numbers of 2024.
Burning oil, coal and gas to generate energy remains the main driver of CO₂ emissions. “Unless we stabilise greenhouse gases rapidly, we should expect new temperature records and worsening impacts,” Carlo Buontempo said.
Regional Contrasts – Half‑Century Hottest July in 11 Nations
Copernicus data, which extends back to 1940, shows 11 countries experiencing their hottest July in at least a half‑century: China, Japan, North Korea, Tajikistan, Bhutan, Brunei and Malaysia.
- Nordic countries had an unprecedented string of hot days, with more than 20 days above 30 °C across Finland.
- More than half of Europe and the Mediterranean basin faced the worst drought conditions in the first three weeks of July since 2012, per the European Drought Observatory.
- Temperatures were below normal in North and South America, India, parts of Australia, Africa and Antarctica.
Sea Surface Temperatures – Still Over‑Heating
July was also the third hottest July for sea surface temperatures. Local records were broken in the Norwegian Sea, parts of the North Sea, and western North Atlantic near France and Britain.
- Arctic sea ice extent was 10 % below average, the second lowest July in 47 years.
- Less sea ice means more dark ocean that absorbs solar energy, increasing global heat absorption (≈ 90 % of the excess heat).
- Antarctic sea ice was the third lowest on record for July.
“Records Will Be Broken Again” – A Cautious Outlook
Piers Forster, Director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures, warned that human activities are “causing the world to warm at an unprecedented rate.” He added that natural phenomena such as El Niño and volcanic activity have nudged global temperatures over the 1.5 °C threshold in recent years.
While “variations are now reducing, dropping us back from record‑breaking temperatures,” Forster remarked, the reprieve is only temporary. He expects high records to be broken again “in the near future,” echoing the collective voice of 60 leading climate scientists.
In short, July’s extreme weather events—droughts, floods, heatwaves and record sea temperatures—highlight the urgent need for rapid stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations if we are to avoid further all‑but‑unequivocal climate disasters.
