World recorded its hottest day ever on July 21, says EU's Climate Copernicus

European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service claimed that Sunday, July 21, was the hottest day ever recorded with global average surface air temperature reaching 17.09 degrees Celsius, according to their preliminary data.

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The temperature recorded on Sunday was slightly higher than the previous record set last July with 17.08 degrees Celsius, according to data by one of the six thematic services provided by the European Union's Copernicus Programme.

Different parts of the United States, Europe and Russia have suffered from the heatwaves over the past week. According to a study released by Monash University, Australia, more than 1.53 lakh deaths a year have been associated with heatwaves around the world since 1990 with India contributing the greatest share.

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Climate Copernicus also confirmed that record daily temperature average which set last year appears to have been broken on Sunday, reported news agency Reuters.

Last year, days from July 3-6 saw record-breaking high temperatures due to climate change catalysed by the burning of fossils which ultimately drove extreme heat across the Northern Hemisphere, reported Reuters.

According to the data by Climate Copernicus, 13 months since June 2023 has been ranked as the planet's hottest since the records began when compared to the corresponding month in previous years.

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The year 2023 had a global average temperature 14.98 degrees Celsius which was 0.17 degrees higher than the previous highest annual value in 2016, according to Climate Copernicus. The climate change service also pointed out that the global average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) remained unusually high consistently, reaching record levels from April 2023 to December.

Due to climate change and the El Nino natural weather phenomenon, which emerges from the variations in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean, scientist now suggests that 2024 could outrank 2023 as the hottest year since the records began.

(with inputs from Reuters)

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