Monday was the world's hottest day on record, surpassing an average of 17 degrees Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time, as per initial measurements taken on Tuesday by US meteorologists.

An organization linked to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recorded the average daily air temperature on the surface of the globe as 17.01C on July 3.

Data from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction dating back to 1979 show that this reading exceeds the previous daily record (16.92C), which was established on July 24 of last year.

Between 1979 and 2000, the global average air temperature, which varies daily from 12 to slightly under 17 degrees Celsius, was 16.2 degrees at the start of July.

The record has not yet been verified by other measures, but with summer officially starting in the northern hemisphere, it may soon be surpassed. Typically, the average worldwide temperature rises through the end of July or the beginning of August.

Even last month, average global temperatures were the warmest the European Union's Copernicus climate monitoring unit had ever recorded for the start of June.

With the commencement of an El Nino weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, which the World Meteorological Organization certified on Monday is currently underway, temperatures are anticipated to soar even farther above historical averages over the next year.

Additionally, the burning of fossil fuels, which makes up the majority of human activity, continues to release around 40 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, warming which warms the globe.

On this issue, Jeni Miller, executive director of the California-based Global Climate and Health Alliance, an international consortium of health organizations, said as quoted by The Guardian: “People around the world are already enduring climate impacts, from heatwaves, wildfires and air pollution to floods and extreme storms. Global warming is also exacerbating crop losses and the spread of infectious diseases, as well as migration.”

“The extraction and use of coal, oil, and gas harm people’s health, are the primary driver of warming, and are incompatible with a healthy climate future," she said. "That’s all the more reason that governments must prepare to deliver a commitment at Cop28 to phase out all fossil fuels, and a just transition to renewable energy for all.”

Read next: How does climate crisis lead to the extinction of languages?