Scientists have warned for months that 2023 could see record highs
ADVERTISEMENTThe summer of 2023 is set to be one of the most unusual in human history, with confirmation from the European observatory Copernicus that the combined effect of climate change and the return of the El Niño phenomenon are pushing ocean and land temperatures to unprecedented levels.
In the latest in a sequence of extraordinary temperature highs, June has already been declared the hottest month on record.
Since April there have been several record-breaking temperatures around the world from China to Spain via the Atlantic Ocean.
Experts suggest it is the most direct sign of the disruption to the planet's climate. It is compounded by other factors such as disasters like forest fires, drought and extreme rainfall.
The average global temperature was 16.51 Celsius in June, which was 0.53 Celsius above the average for the previous three decades.
The previous record, in June 2019, was only 0.37 Celsius above the 30-year average.