From global warming to global boiling

 As July of the current year comes to a close, scientists across the globe have come to the conclusion that July 2023 has created a record of being the ‘hottest July’ in terms of temperature since 1940, if not in the past one hundred years. Some experts have even claimed that July 2023 might well be the warmest month in the past 1,20,000 years. According to reports, scientists have also almost expressed unanimity over the fact that July is “virtually certain” to be the world’s warmest month on record. So hot has this month been that researchers are also confident that the record of “July being the warmest month so far” will be broken in the next two days. The greatest concern over this record-breaking month has been expressed by none other than United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, who a couple of days ago said that the planet is indeed entering an “era of global boiling”. Guterres has also stated that July has already seen the hottest three-week period ever recorded, the three hottest days on record, and the highest-ever ocean temperatures for this time of year. Meanwhile, scientists have expressed the view that the extra heat generated in July is mainly linked to the increasing use of fossil fuels. It is also important to note that global leaders have expressed concern over this rising temperature, with several of them renewing the call for urgent action by all. US President Joe Biden has described climate change as an “existential threat” and said that no one “can deny the impact of climate change anymore.” As reported in the media, Dr. Karsten Haustein of the University of Leipzig has calculated that July 2023 will be 1.3 to 1.7 degrees Celsius above the average July temperatures recorded before the widespread use of fossil fuels. Prof. Petteri Taalas, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation, has stated that the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must.