Preliminary data provided by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service leave no illusions. July 21, 2024 was probably the hottest day on Earth since the process of monitoring global temperatures began. It hasn’t been this hot since at least 1940.
According to information provided by experts, the average temperature of our planet on Sunday was 17.09 degrees Celsius. You’re probably saying: what? Is that supposed to be a lot? Remember, however, that this is an average value for the entire planet, and in many regions of the world it’s currently winter.
The record set on July 21, 2024 was 0.01 degrees Celsius higher than beforewhich was set last year. Here, too, the worrying fact is that before 2023, the warmest temperatures in the world were significantly lower by about 0.3 degrees Celsius.
It is worth adding that the previous record for the highest temperature on Earth in 2023 was set during The boywhich is a natural climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean causing warming. The second cause was pollution from fossil fuels.
This year the record was broken when El Niño disappeared, which is changing into the cool phase of La Niña. This is all the more alarming because temperature increases are more closely linked to human activity.
Scientists from Copernicus also point out that the record was broken thanks to disturbing phenomena in the Antarctic area, which has been hit by unusual heat. This is important because the circumpolar regions act as a “refrigerator” for our planet and their warming could have catastrophic consequences for us.
This year, extreme heat has also hit many regions of Europe and the United States, where very high temperatures have been recorded. There are some myths associated with this phenomenon that are certainly worth knowing.
Source: geekweek.interia.pl
