The planet’s average temperature hit a record high for the third straight day on Wednesday, hitting 17.18 degrees Celsius, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world’s condition.
That matched a record set Tuesday of 17.18C, which came after a previous record of 17.01C which was set Monday, according to data compiled by an organization attached to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The global average temperature had reached 17 degrees Celsius for the first time on Monday, according to data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Protection, whose records go back to 1979. That topped the previous daily record of 16.92 Celsius dating to July 24, 2022.
The world’s average air temperature averaged at 16.2 degrees at the beginning of July from 1979 to 2000. While it typically rises until the end of July or early August, it has not breached 17 degrees Celsius until now. Now that it has, the barrier was quickly broken in three consecutive days.
Even last month, average global temperatures were the warmest the EU climate monitoring unit Copernicus had ever recorded for the start of June.
Temperatures are likely to rise even further above historical averages over the next year with the onset of the El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, in addition to the continued burning of fossil fuels that emits roughly 40 billion tons of planet-warming CO2 into the atmosphere every year.
The warnings are all there, and aside from anecdotal evidence, the hard data that scientists are gathering is confirming that our planet is indeed warming up faster than we would prefer. And while most of the blame undoubtedly goes to the human race, the bright side is that it is also up to us if we are to mitigate or even reverse the damage that our irresponsible treatment of the planet has wrought upon ourselves and future generations who will have to bear the brunt of the damage as the effects are expected to pile up and make our planet less hospitable and habitable.
While there is still time to roll back the damage we have already wrought, the window is rapidly closing. The heat is on. The time to act is now.*
