Monday and Tuesday were the hottest days in world history.
But the new records are nothing to celebrate, say scientists, who describe the heat records as a death sentence for people and ecosystems.
In recent weeks, it has been extremely hot in the world and, among other things, the southern United States, North Africa and China have been plagued by extreme heat waves. At the same time, it is warmer than usual in the North Sea and the North Atlantic. It could be about one of the worst marine heat waves ever. Even in Antarctica, where it is currently winter, unusually high temperatures have been measured.
New global heat record – two days in a row
And on Monday, a new temperature record was set when the average temperature on the earth’s surface measured 17.01 degrees. A worrying news, as the global total temperature has never before exceeded 17 degrees. And the following day, the record was broken again when the figure was measured at 17.18 degrees.
– The previous record was from 2016, when it was 16.92 degrees, says meteorologist Linda Eriksson.
The climate statement worries scientists
The measurements were made by the Center for Environmental Prediction NCEP, which has measured the global temperature since 1979. And temperatures are expected to rise even more in the coming years. Scientists believe that climate change combined with the weather phenomenon El Niño is behind the heat waves. The new heat records have been described as a death sentence for people and ecosystems.
– It is hot, and is expected to continue to be hot now in the coming years. There are probably several records being set, probably, says Linda Eriksson.