GLOBAL – New data published by the World Meteorological Organization show how July 2019 was the hottest month on record, surpassing the previous record, set by July 2016.
The data came as wildfires ravage the Arctic and an extended drought is threatening the livelihoods of millions of farmers in India.
Mahir Ilgaz, Research and Grants Coordinator at 350.org, commented:
“July 2019 was the hottest month on record, which means it was the hottest month in human history. It’s a clear sign that after pushing the boundaries of our planet, we’re breaking them, and possibly more rapidly than scientists themselves had imagined decades or even years ago.
The first and hardest hit by climate breakdown are often the most marginalized: indigenous communities, subsistence farmers and fishermen, immigrant communities and people of color in the global North.
Despite the dire warnings from scientists and the destruction and loss of lives and ecosystems this increase in temperatures is causing, global CO2 emissions are still on the rise, and so is the use of fossil fuels. If we continue on this path, there will soon be no good choices. This coming September, people all over the world, often led by those most at risk to climate breakdown will go on the first ever Global Climate Strike, to demand that fossil fuels are a thing of the past and push decision-makers to put in place urgent and necessary measures to completely phase out fossil fuels and ensure that the energy and the food we need are produced in a way that does not further fuel the fire now consuming our planet”.