Today’s news / World hit record temperature on sunny Danish summer day
In recent weeks, heatwaves have hit the USA, Europe, and Russia. On Sunday, the climate service measured the highest global average temperature in the service's lifetime. Photo: María José López/Ritzau Scanpix

World hit record temperature on sunny Danish summer day

On a sunny Sunday, the global average temperature reached the highest ever recorded by EU’s climate service, Copernicus, at 17.09 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record by 0.01 degrees. Repeated heatwaves over the past week have impacted the USA, Europe, and Russia, with firefighters battling wildfires in North America due to the hot, dry conditions. Denmark experienced its hottest temperature of the month on this day, recorded at 30 degrees Celsius in Langø. Copernicus reported that the past month was the warmest June on record globally, highlighting a persistent climate shift. Every month since June 2023 has set a new temperature record. According to Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo, as long as fossil fuels are used, temperature records are ‘inevitable’. The past 12 months’ global temperatures were 1.64 degrees higher than pre-industrial levels.