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July was the hottest month on record

By Brooks Hays
July was the hottest on record, according to climate scientists at the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Program. Heatwaves persisted across much of Europe in June and July. Photo by Ian Langsdon/EPA-EFE
July was the hottest on record, according to climate scientists at the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Program. Heatwaves persisted across much of Europe in June and July. Photo by Ian Langsdon/EPA-EFE

Aug. 5 (UPI) -- July was the hottest month on record, according to scientists with the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

According to analysis of global temperature recordings from around the globe, the average temperature for July was 1 degree Fahrenheit warmer than the global average temperature between 1981 and 2010 -- just ahead of July 2016.

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"While July is usually the warmest month of the year for the globe, according to our data it also was the warmest month recorded globally by a very small margin," Jean-Noël Thépaut, head of the Copernicus program, told CNN.

"With continued greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting impact on global temperatures, records will continue to be broken in the future," he added.

July featured extreme heatwaves along the East Coast of the United States, as well as across much of Europe. Temperatures even soared inside the Arctic Circle, where an unprecedented number of fires burned tundra and forest.

So far, every month in 2019 has ranked among the four warmest on record for that specific month.

Last week, U.N. climate scientists suggested the numbers pointed to a new record. Now, Copernicus scientists have confirmed as much.

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Unlike the 2016 record, this summer's July record occurred without the help of any heat-inducing climate patterns.

"This is even more significant because the previous hottest month, July 2016, occurred during one of the strongest El Niños ever," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said.

Leaders at the U.N. have continued to implore the world's nations to act swiftly to reduce carbon emissions and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Several studies suggest the current carbon reduction pledges by world governments and private industries fall woefully short of doing enough to meet such a goal.

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