NASA Confirms July 2023 As The Hottest Month Ever, Says ''We Must Act Now''

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has confirmed July 2023 as the hottest month on record ever since 1880. According to report presented by scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, July smashed Earth's previous July record by more than one-third of a degree Fahrenheit. 

Overall, July 2023 was 0.24°C warmer than any other July in NASA's record, and it was 1.18°C warmer than the average July between 1951 and 1980.

(1 of 5) IT'S OFFICIAL:

Earth just had its hottest July in 174 years.

4th consecutive month of record-high global ocean surface temperature.

Antarctica #SeaIce coverage had a record-low in July for the 3rd consecutive month.https://t.co/lRgypbiSed@NOAANCEI #StateOfClimate pic.twitter.com/n1ud8u87x2

— NOAA (@NOAA) August 14, 2023

''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. 

''We must act now to protect our communities and planet; it's the only one we have,'' he added. 

Parts of South America, North Africa, North America, and the Antarctic Peninsula were especially hot, experiencing temperatures increasing around 4 degrees Celsius above average. NASA's analysis also showed especially warm ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific, evidence of the El Nino that began developing in May 2023.

Gavin Schmidt, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, said the biggest impacts of El Nino will likely occur next year.

"This July was not just warmer than any previous July - it was the warmest month in our record, which goes back to 1880. The science is clear this isn't normal. Alarming warming around the world is driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. And that rise in average temperatures is fueling dangerous extreme heat that people are experiencing here at home and worldwide," said Mr Schmidt in a press statement.

A few days back, European Union's climate observatory also confirmed that July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth.

According to NASA data, the five hottest Julys since 1880 have all happened in the past five years.