Record-breaking Heatwave: Hottest Summer in History
This summer has been confirmed as the hottest on record, with June to August being the warmest period since 1940. The global average temperature was 0.66 degrees Celsius above the 1990 to 2020 average, breaking the previous record set in 2019. The Northern Hemisphere experienced deadly heatwaves and unprecedented ocean temperatures, while countries in the Southern Hemisphere also saw well-above average temperatures. The Copernicus data highlights the urgent need to address climate change, as these extreme weather events and rising temperatures are a preview of what the world can expect at 1.5 degrees of warming.