July enters history books as hottest month on record

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🗞️ Driving the news: July was declared the hottest month ever recorded, beating the previous record set in 2019 by 0.3°C, according to the European earth observation agency
• The average global temperature in July was about 1.5°C warmer than the pre-industrial period, highlighting the escalating impact of human-induced climate change

🔭 The context: The Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization had already predicted July would exceed the highest recorded temperatures
• The year 2023 so far ranks as the third-warmest ever and may surpass 2016 as the hottest on record

🌎 Why does it matter for the planet: The record temperatures pose dire consequences for people and the environment, with more frequent and intense extreme weather events
• The urgency to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions is heightened as irreversible changes to the planet may take hold if the 1.5°C threshold is reached in the near term

⏭️ What's next: The developing El Niño weather phenomenon is expected to push up temperatures further later this year and next

💬 One quote: "These records have dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events" (Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus)

📈 One stat: Global average sea surface temperatures hit record highs in July, and the Antarctic sea ice extent reached its lowest ever level for the month

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