Spectators and cyclists during a heatwave coinciding with the Paris Olympics on August 4th, 2024. | Photo by MAGALI COHEN/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
The Northern Hemisphere just experienced the hottest summer on record since at least 1940, even topping last year’s record-breaking season, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
Scorching temperatures so far this year also put 2024 on track to be the hottest year since record-keeping began in 1850, potentially unseating 2023 for the top spot. Temperatures have risen steadily since greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels soared with the industrial revolution, showing a clear trend in the data.
“The temperature-related extreme events witnessed this summer will only become more intense, with more…