August hottest month globally as oceans hit record warmth and western Europe sees hottest summer

August was the hottest single month ever recorded globally with ocean temperatures also reaching unprecedented levels as western Europe experienced its warmest summer on record the European Unions climate monitor Copernicus said on ThursdayThe assessment prompted a warning from the United Nations that the planet would continue to enter uncharted territory unless humanity moves away from fossil fuelsCopernicus observations date back to 1940 However other evidence including ice cores tree rings and coral skeletons allows scientists to compare current temperatures with climate conditions over much longer periodsHumans havent seen temperatures as hot as today for arguably at least the last 100000 years Samantha Burgess of the European Centre for MediumRange Weather Forecasts which oversees Copernicus told AFPAugust temperatures surpass previous recordThe global average air temperature in August was 1696 degrees Celsius Copernicus said This was 001 degrees Celsius higher than the previous monthly record set in July 2023However Copernicus considered the two months to be jointly the hottest on record because the difference between their temperatures was within the margin of uncertaintyScientists say human activity primarily the burning of coal oil and gas has warmed the planet by roughly 14 degrees Celsius since preindustrial times The warming has also increased the severity and likelihood of extreme weather eventsGreenhouse gas emissions also reached new highs in 2025 according to the reportThe evidence is irrefutable this is the spiralling price of humanitys fossil fuel addiction and the global climate crisis it is fuelling United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell said in response to the Copernicus findingsOcean temperatures remain exceptionally highGlobal sea surface temperatures also reached a new daily high and tied the record for the hottest August extending a threemonth period of recordbreaking warmth across the worlds oceansMore than 90 per cent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions has been absorbed by the oceans While this has limited some of the warming over land scientists warn that the additional heat is placing severe pressure on marine ecosystems coral reefs and coastal communitiesTemperature records were broken in several ocean regions including the Atlantic Mediterranean and tropical PacificThe unusually warm conditions in the tropical Pacific are associated with El Nino a natural climate pattern that can temporarily push up global temperatures and influence weather patterns thousands of kilometres awayEl Nino adds to global heatThe developing El Nino has been accompanied by unusually warm Pacific waters and could increase the likelihood of extreme weather in different parts of the worldSuch conditions can contribute to heavy rainfall and flooding in some regions while increasing the risk of drought and heat in othersEl Nino episodes typically produce a temporary rise in global temperatures on top of the longerterm warming trend caused primarily by greenhouse gas emissionsScientists expect global temperature records to remain under pressure in the coming months as the current El Nino developsClimate change makes every El Nino hotter and until we stop burning coal oil and gas these recordshattering months will simply keep on coming said Friederike Otto a climate scientist from Imperial College LondonWestern Europe records hottest summerCopernicus said August marked the end of western Europes warmest summer on record surpassing the previous record set in 2003The JunetoAugust period was marked by repeated heatwaves that affected large parts of the continent The extreme temperatures contributed to the drying of rivers disruption of daily activities and conditions conducive to wildfiresBetween midJuly and midAugust Europes EuroMomo monitoring platform estimated that the continent recorded more than 32000 excess deathsScientists from the World Weather Attribution network concluded that a particularly intense heatwave in June would have been virtually impossible without the influence of climate changeRecord heat reported across worldThe extreme temperatures were not limited to EuropeOn Wednesday the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the contiguous United States had experienced its hottest summer on recordAn analysis of Copernicus data by AFP also found that regions home to around 900 million people experienced their hottest July ever recordedWeve had an exceptional summer not only in Europe but other parts of the world where records that have existed for close to a century have fallen Burgess an ocean scientist and strategic lead at the European Centre for MediumRange Weather Forecasts told AFPShe warned that the trend towards more extreme conditions would continue unless greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reducedThe climate would continue to get more extreme unless we turn off the tap to global emissions she addedWith inputs from AFP