According to European observation program Copernicus figures, last July was the warmest month ever recorded in human history. Last month, those measurements were 0,33 degrees Celsius higher than the warmest month ever recorded so far, July 2019, with an average temperature of 16,63 degrees.

July was the hottest month and the month with the highest ocean levels since the measurements began. Global sea surface temperatures continued to rise after a long period of unusually high temperatures since April 2023, reaching record highs in July.

Clear link to climate change

“All these records have serious consequences for the planet and people, who are extremely exposed to extreme events that are becoming increasingly intense,” says Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

According to climate scientist Wim Thierry of Brussels University (VUB), these global climate extremes are clearly linked to climate change and global warming.

‘New normal’

Thierry and fellow scientists expect the rising temperatures to continue in the future. “It’s just a foretaste of what will become normal in the coming decade,” they warn. Southern Europe has been hit hard this summer, but climate warming also hits Belgium. “Remember the floodings in Wallonia and last year’s heat waves?”

According to Thierry, “We have the necessary technology and financial resources to replace fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but there is no political will to mobilize resources and roll out the technology on a massive scale. We urgently need acceleration to combat global warming.”

Time for action

The European Union itself shows that economic growth and reducing CO2 emissions can go hand in hand, Thierry continues. “But it has to happen now because every year, the human toll of global warming will increase. Companies and lobby groups must also be held accountable for the willful damage they cause to humanity purely for profit.”

On Tuesday, at a summit in Brazil, eight South American countries agreed to launch an alliance to combat deforestation in the Amazon. Deforestation is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and the climate. The countries did not develop concrete policy proposals but agreed to cooperate on water management, health, sustainable development, and common negotiating positions at climate summits.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), run by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on behalf of the European Commission with EU funding, routinely publishes monthly climate bulletins reporting the changes observed in the temperature of the surface of the earth, the sea ice cover, and the hydrological variables.