- NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies has declared July 2023 the hottest month it has recorded since 1880.
- Parts of South America, North Africa, North America and the Antarctic Peninsula were four degrees Celsius above the average.
- NASA says the four hottest Julys on record, occurred in the last five years.
While South Africa is still battling with a cold winter, other parts of the world have experienced record-breaking temperatures leading to wildfires, heatstroke and even death. The effects of climate change are starting to make our planet unliveable and humanity is to blame.
As it turns out, folks weren’t overreacting and NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies has declared July 2023 “hotter than any other month in the global temperature record”. For reference, NASA has been tracking temperature data since 1880. Overall, July 2023 was 0.24 degrees Celsius warmer than all other Julys. July 2023 was also warmer than the average July between 1951 and 1980.
“NASA data confirms what billions around the world literally felt: temperatures in July 2023 made it the hottest month on record. In every corner of the country, Americans are right now experiencing firsthand the effects of the climate crisis, underscoring the urgency of President Biden’s historic climate agenda,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
“The science is clear. We must act now to protect our communities and planet; it’s the only one we have.”
The organisation says that parts of South America, North Africa, North America and the Antarctic Peninsula were four degrees Celsius above the average.
Worse still, the five hottest Julys have all been recorded over the last five years. These dramatic increases in temperature are largely driven by humanity’s appetite for fossil fuels.
NASA assembles its temperature record using surface air temperature data it gathers from thousands of metrological stations, as well as sea surface temperature data acquired by ship and buoy-based instruments. This data is then analysed using methods that account for the varied spacing of temperature stations around the globe and for urban heating effects that could skew the calculations.
Another contributing factor to the higher-than-average temperatures is the warm ocean temperature in the Pacific that occurred when El Niño began developing in May.
Speaking frankly, we are concerned about the Summer months here in South Africa, especially with loadshedding thrown into the mix. While Eskom anticipates demand to be lower in the warmer months, if locals switch on fans and air conditioners, that demand could go right back up again.
You may want to start looking at investing in low-power fans that can run off of a battery bank for Summer, just in case.
[Image – Malachi Brooks on Unsplash]
