The average temperature on Earth on Thursday hit a new record, exceeding 17 degrees Celsius, according to the Climate Reanalyzer of the University of Maine in the United States.
Thursday’s average global temperature was 17.23 degrees Celsius, according to the source, who relies on satellite data and computer simulations to make the measurements.
Thursday’s average exceeded Tuesday’s 17.18, which was equal on Wednesday. According to unofficial data, Monday’s recorded average was 17.01.
The US Atmospheric and Oceanic Agency (NOAA, its English acronym) issued a warning on Thursday about the information released by the University of Maine, saying it could not confirm data partly from computer simulations.
“While NOAA cannot confirm the methodology or findings of the University of Maine analysis, we acknowledge that we are experiencing a warm period due to climate change,” NOAA said.
However, Maine’s data is widely seen as a warning sign of climate change around the world. Some climate scientists said this week they weren’t surprised by the unofficial data.
Robert Watson, scientist and former chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said governments and the private sector “are not really interested in tackling climate change.”
Scientists have been warning for months that a record heat wave could hit in 2023 as man-made climate change, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil, warms the atmosphere.
These observations are likely a foretaste of what is to come with a phenomenon called El Niño (in Spanish), usually associated with rising temperatures on a global scale, which is complemented by the effects of human-induced climate warming.