‘Era of global boiling has arrived,’ says UN chief as July set to be hottest month on record

The era of global warming has ended and “the era of global boiling has arrived”, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, has said after scientists confirmed July was on track to be the world’s hottest month on record.

“Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning,” Guterres said. “It is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C [above pre-industrial levels], and avoid the very worst of climate change. But only with dramatic, immediate climate action.”

Guterres’s comments came after scientists confirmed on Thursday that the past three weeks have been the hottest since records began and July is on track to be the hottest month ever recorded.

Global temperatures this month have shattered records, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation programme, stoked by the burning of fossil fuels and spurring violent weather.

The steady rise in global average temperatures, driven by pollution that traps sunlight and acts like a greenhouse around the Earth, has made weather extremes worse.

“Humanity is in the hot seat,” Guterres told a press conference on Thursday. “For vast parts of North America, Asia, Africa and Europe, it is a cruel summer. For the entire planet, it is a disaster. And for scientists, it is unequivocal – humans are to blame.

All this is entirely consistent with predictions and repeated warnings. The only surprise is the speed of the change. Climate change is here, it is terrifying, and it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.”

Guterres urged politicians to take swift action. “The air is unbreathable, the heat is unbearable, and the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable. Leaders must lead. No more hesitancy, no more excuses, no more waiting for others to move first. There is simply no more time for that.It is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C and avoid the very worst of climate change but only with dramatic, immediate climate action. We have seen some progress – a robust rollout of renewables and some positive steps from sectors such as shipping – but none of this is going far enough or fast enough. Accelerating temperatures demand accelerated action.”

The WMO secretary general, Petteri Taalas, said: “The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must.”

Other climate scientists confirmed the findings. Karsten Haustein at Leipzig University found the world was 1.5C (2.7F) hotter in July 2023 than in the average July before industrialisation.

Temperatures this month had been “so outrageous” that scientists could predict it would be the warmest on record, even before it was over, he said.

Joyce Kimutai, a climate scientist at the Grantham Institute, said bigger and stronger extreme weather events were causing havoc worldwide – particularly in poorer countries least responsible for emissions.She added: “This should serve as a compelling wake-up call for all of us. We need to shift the conversation to what needs to happen urgently this year.”

World leaders are meeting in the United Arab Emirates in November to agree ways to stop the planet heating, adapt to more extreme weather and pay for the damage.

The president of the Cop28 summit, Sultan Al Jaber, who is also the head of the country’s national oil company, said in an interview with the Guardian this month that phasing down fossil fuels was “inevitable and essential”.

Catherine Abreu, the founder of the Canadian campaign group Destination Zero, said governments must understand that “this transition away from fossil fuels is not just inevitable, it is urgent. It needs to be planned, it requires cooperation; it requires a provision of finance at a scale that is currently not being provided.”

In a roadmap to net zero emissions drawn up by the International Energy Agency, there should have been no new oil and gasfields approved for development from 2021. Instead, governments including the US, UK and Australia have granted licences to drill for more.

Marina Romanello, a climate and health researcher at University College London and head of the Lancet Countdown, said: “We have data showing how the very foundations of health are being undermined by climate change and, despite that knowledge, we’re seeing governments and companies still prioritising fossil fuels.

“But we still have time today to turn the tide and to ensure a liveable future for us and our children.”

cover photo:Wildfires rage in the Kınık district of İzmir, Turkey. The steady rise in global average temperatures has made weather extremes worse. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images