UN warns of 'climate breakdown' after searing summer heat

The United Nations on Wednesday warned that “climate breakdown has begun” after Earth experienced its hottest three months on record. The announcement comes on the same day that EU climate monitors said 2023 would likely be the hottest year in human history.

A man cools off in a public fountain in Colmar, eastern France, on August 21, 2023, as France experiences a late summer heatwave. AFP - SEBASTIEN BOZON

“The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement after the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) reported the most sweltering summer ever measured in the Northern Hemisphere.

The average global temperature in June, July, and August was 16.77°Celsius, breaking the previous 2019 record of 16.48°C.

The WMO was citing data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which found that last month was by far the hottest August ever recorded with modern equipment.

It was also the second hottest month measured, behind July 2023.

"The three months that we've just had are the warmest in approximately 120,000 years, so effectively human history," C3S deputy director Samantha Burgess told AFP.

Our planet has just endured the hottest summer on record.

Climate breakdown has begun.

We can still avoid the worst of climate chaos. We don’t have a moment to lose.https://t.co/PCETCQFsqW pic.twitter.com/3Gxx93i8b2

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 6, 2023

Dramatic impacts

All northern countries witnessed a series of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, especially in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. The extreme weather has also made a dramatic impact on economies, ecosystems, and human health.

"Scientists have long warned what our fossil fuel addiction will unleash," Guterres warned.

"Our climate is imploding faster than we can cope, with extreme weather events hitting every corner of the planet."

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Record-high global sea surface temperatures played a major role in stoking heat throughout the summer, with marine heatwaves hitting the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.

"Looking at the additional heat we have in the surface ocean, the probability is that 2023 will end up being the warmest year on record," Burgess said.

If the Northern Hemisphere has a "normal" winter, Burgess added, "we can almost virtually say that 2023 will be the warmest year that humanity has experienced".

(with newswires)