UN says July likely hottest month ever recorded in history
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The first three weeks alone registered global average temperatures above any comparative period.
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A couple walks in the scorching heat. (John Locher/AP)
July is possibly the hottest month ever recorded in history, the UN said on Thursday, as temperatures continue to rise and little action done on behalf of governments.
The first three weeks alone registered global average temperatures above any comparative period.
Given this, the World Meteorological Organization and Europe's Copernicus Climate Change Service said it is "extremely likely that July 2023 will be the hottest July and also the hottest month on record".
The summer's heat has prompted several countries across the globe to issue safety warnings to citizens, advising them to take necessary precautions and shelter themselves from excessive heat exposure to avoid the risk of heat strokes and other maladies.
Read more: Extreme heat prompts issue of safety warnings across several countries
Millions of people across the world are facing the toll of the climate crisis as this summer is met with health concerns due to the ravaging heatwaves and wildfires.
While temperature records have been repeatedly broken in the US, Europe, and China, experts say the continued burning of fossil fuels has in great part been responsible for driving the climate crisis.
Safety warnings have been issued in France where temperature levels on Wednesday reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Greece and Spain have likewise been experiencing wildfires that prompted authorities to evacuate residential areas.
China, on the other hand, has broken a 23-year-old record with 27 consecutive days of temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).
As for the US, the city of Phoenix broke a 49-year-old record with 19 consecutive days of temperatures of 43.3 Celsius or higher.
Robert Vautard, director of France's Pierre-Simon Laplace Climate Institute, told AFP that the heat waves across Europe and the globe are "not one single phenomenon but several acting at the same time."
"But they are all strengthened by one factor: climate change."
Read more: Relentless US heat wave sizzles into August
