Forest fires and heat waves: The high temperatures have wreaked havoc around the world over the months.
In the USA they set a new record.
Washington -With meter-high flames, tons of dead animals and destroyed livelihoods, the last month was not traumatic for hardly any of the countries affected.
In Greece, Turkey and Italy, emergency services are still grappling with the effects of the heat wave.
In the USA, this year's July set a new record.
USA: "July 2021 has outdone itself"
According to the US climate agency NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the month will be the hottest July worldwide since temperature measurements began in 1880. The average temperature over land and ocean areas in the 20th century was 15.8 degrees. The NOAA announced that July 2021 exceeded this value by 0.93 degrees. This means that the previous record holders from 2016, 2019 and 2020 have to take a back seat. These were exceeded by 0.01 degrees.
"July is typically the warmest month of the year in the world, but July 2021 surpassed itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded," explains NOAA CEO Rick Spinrad.
“This new record is in addition to the disturbing and corrosive path that climate change is preparing for the earth.” He therefore considers it very likely that the entire year 2021 will also be one of the ten warmest years ever recorded.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: More extreme weather events, if not act
In Europe, July 2021 will still have to be content with second place.
According to the European Copernicus Climate Change Service, it was only warmer in July 2010. At that time, a particularly strong heat wave settled over western Russia.
According to the current report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, one has to be prepared for even more frequent and stronger extreme weather events such as floods and heat waves - if there is no rapid and strong reduction in emissions. Such extreme weather events have recently been observed in western Germany and most recently in south-eastern Europe and western Canada.
