NASA climate scientist: July likely to be hottest month on record, next year even warmer

(Patria) - July 2023 will likely be the hottest month on Earth in "hundreds, if not thousands, of years," top NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt said, AFP reports.

Daily records have already been broken this month according to measurements kept by the European Union and the University of Maine, which combine ground and satellite data into models to
generate preliminary estimates.

Although they differ slightly from each other, the trend of extreme heat is unmistakable and
will likely be reflected in more robust monthly reports released later by US agencies, Schmidt said.

"We are seeing unprecedented changes around the world - the heat waves we are seeing in the US, Europe and China are breaking records," he added.

Moreover, the effects cannot be attributed solely to the El Nino weather pattern, which has "really only just appeared," he added.

While El Nino plays a small role, "what we are seeing is overall heat, almost everywhere, especially in the
oceans. For many months now we have been seeing record sea surface temperatures, even outside the tropics. And we will predict that this will continue, and the reason we think it will continue is that we continue to release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere."

What is currently happening increases the chances that 2023 will be the hottest year on
record, to which Schmidt gave a "50-50 chance" based on his calculations, although he said other scientists estimated it as high as 80 percent.

"But we expect 2024 to be an even warmer year, as we will start with that El Nino event that is now developing, which will peak at the end of this year," he added.