The planet saw its hottest day on record

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🗞️ Driving the news: Sunday marked the hottest day on Earth since at least 1940, with a temperature of 17.09°C (62.76°F), according to preliminary data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service
• This record is part of a trend of escalating global temperatures driven by fossil fuel pollution

🔭 The context: Global temperatures typically peak during Northern Hemisphere summers
• This year's record temperature surpassed last year's by just 0.01°C, indicating a consistent rise
• Such temperatures are the highest seen in at least 100,000 years, based on climate data from ice cores and coral reefs

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The rising global temperatures exacerbate the risk of severe weather events and environmental impacts, including accelerated melting of polar ice, which could lead to catastrophic sea-level rise

⏭️ What's next: Experts warn that new temperature records will likely continue as the climate crisis progresses, driven by both natural factors and human-induced emissions

💬 One quote: “We are now in truly uncharted territory and as the climate keeps warming, we are bound to see new records being broken in future months and years,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus

📈 One stat: Sunday’s record temperature was 0.01°C above the previous year's record

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