Scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that this past summer was the hottest on record, according to USA Today.
This past June, July and August together were 0.41 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than any other summer on record, according to NASA.
“Summer 2023 was the hottest summer in NASA’s record, continuing a trend of long-term warming caused by human activity,” NASA said in a tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This summer’s temperatures were about 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than other summers between the years of 1951 and 1980, UPI reported.
“The science is clear this isn’t normal,” said NASA’s GISS Director Gavin Schmidt in August, according to UPI. “Alarming warming around the world is driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. And that rise in average temperature is fueling dangerous extreme heat that people are experiencing here at home and worldwide.”
Summer 2023 was the hottest summer in NASA’s record, continuing a trend of long-term warming caused by human activity.
— NASA (@NASA) September 14, 2023
All three summer months broke heat records: https://t.co/fAbXthgoP4 pic.twitter.com/AHewVuIMse
“Unfortunately, climate change is happening. Things that we said would come to pass are coming to pass,” said Schmidt. “And it will get worse if we continue to emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.”
The new record comes after exceptional heat swept across the globe. Heat waves were felt in South America, Japan, parts of Europe and the United States, USA Today reported. It also led to deadly wildfires in Canada and Hawaii, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.
“Summer 2023′s record-setting temperatures aren’t just a set of numbers – they result in dire real-world consequences. From sweltering temperatures in Arizona and across the country, to wildfires across Canada, and extreme flooding in Europe and Asia, extreme weather is threatening lives and livelihoods around the world,” Nelson said. “The impacts of climate change are a threat to our planet and future generations, threats that NASA and the Biden-Harris Administration are tackling head-on.”
