August 8, 2024

expert reaction to July being (a) the second-warmest July and (b) the second-warmest month globally on record

Scientists comment on new data published by Copernicus on July 2024 temperature data. 

Dr Friederike Otto, Co-founder of World Weather Attribution and Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London, said:  

“The end of record-breaking monthly temperatures is not cause for celebration. Even without El Niño, the world continues to experience incredibly dangerous levels of heat. 

“The planet has heated by about 1.3°C since humans first started burning oil, gas, and coal. However, some places are heating faster than the global average, including Europe.

“Summertime temperatures above 40°C have now become the norm in some regions of Europe. This level of heat has devastating consequences. More than 60,000 people in Europe are believed to have died from extreme heat in 2022. 

“Many heat deaths are the elderly with existing health conditions who die prematurely when their bodies cannot cope with high temperatures. However, heat can also be deadly for children and outdoor workers. The heat deaths of 21 people in a single day in Morocco during July provided a shocking illustration of just how deadly extreme heat can be. 

“A study by World Weather Attribution focusing on countries bordering the Mediterranean, including Morocco, found that the persistent July heat wouldn’t have been possible without climate change. 

“To stop climate change, we need to stop burning fossil fuels, stop deforestation and replace them with renewable energy. We have all the technology and know-how to do that, it will also increase the quality of life for the vast majority of people. We just lack the political will.”

Declared interests

None