July was the planet's hottest month on record

A global trend of sizzling heatwaves, with the worst in southern Europe, the USA, and China, have caused the global average temperature to reach 16.95C, which is 0.33C warmer than the previous record set in July 2019.

July also saw the world’s hottest day on record, with the average global temperature tipping over to 17.08C on the 6^th July. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the EU’s Copernicus satellite programme say that 2023 is on track to be the third warmest year to date, with the average global temperature at 1.5C warmer than pre-industrial levels.

Global warming, brought on by the widespread use of fossil fuels since the late 1800s, has made heatwaves “hotter, longer, and more frequent”. Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus programme, said: “These records have dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events”.

Despite these summer heatwaves, the UK has been plagued by persistent gloomy and stormy weather. With strong breezes onshore and offshore, however, this summer has proved a productive one for the UK’s operational wind turbines. A drop in energy demand for air conditioning, due to lower than average summer temperatures, and the strong winds, have eased people’s energy bills. City AM reports that renewables now make up 34.9% of today’s energy supply mix.

Read the Times article here: July was the planet’s hottest month on record (thetimes.co.uk)

Read the City AM article here: https://www.cityam.com/the-one-winner-from-the-uks-miserable-summer-wind-turbines/

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