Global heatwave shatters record: Earth sees hottest day on record

Earth just witnessed its hottest day ever on July 21st, according to the European Union's Copernicus climate monitoring service.

The global average surface air temperature on Sunday reached 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit) — a little higher than the previously recorded (17.08 C - 62.74 F) on last July.

With heatwaves continuing to intensify worldwide, there's a chance this week could break the record for the hottest day ever recorded, according to Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

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"When you have these peaks, they tend to cluster together," he said.

It may be mentioned here, last year saw four days in a row break the record, from July 3 through July 6, as climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, drove extreme heat across the Northern Hemisphere.

Since June 2023, each month has been the hottest ever recorded for that specific month, compared to past years.

However, some scientists have suggested 2024 could go beyond 2023 as the hottest year since records began, as climate change and the El Nino natural weather phenomenon — which ended in April — have pushed temperatures ever higher this year.

"As a effect of the increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere — we are bound to see new records being broken in the next few months, in the next few years," Buontempo said.

Scientists and environmental activists have time and again called for global leaders and wealthier countries to phase out and end the reliance on fossil fuels to prevent catastrophic effects of climate change, including increased heatwaves.

(With inputs from agencies)