July 21 Becomes Hottest Day Ever As Global Average Temperature Reaches 17.09°C, Monitor Says

On July 21, 2024, the Earth experienced its hottest day on record, with a global average temperature of 17.09 degrees Celsius. Heatwaves have affected the US, Europe, and Russia in the past week.

July 21 marked the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to preliminary data from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The global average surface air temperature on Sunday reached 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit), slightly surpassing the previous record of 17.08 degrees Celsius (62.74 degrees Fahrenheit) set last July, news agency Reuters reported. Over the past week, heatwaves have seared large parts of the United States, Europe, and Russia.

Copernicus confirmed to Reuters that the record, which dates back to 1940, had indeed been broken on Sunday. Last year, a streak of four consecutive days from July 3 to July 6 saw records broken, driven by climate change exacerbated by the burning of fossil fuels, causing extreme heat across the Northern Hemisphere. The agency reported that each month since June 2023 has ranked as the hottest for its respective month since records began.

Scientists suggest that 2024 could surpass 2023 as the hottest year on record, with climate change and the natural weather phenomenon El Niño, which ended in April, driving temperatures higher, Reuters reported.

Public Health Experts Say India Likely Undercounting Heat-Caused Deaths

In India, months of scorching temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of the country have resulted in hundreds of deaths or illnesses. Despite this, official reports severely understate the true death toll, which is affecting future preparations for similar extreme weather, public health experts say, according to news agency AFP.

India is currently experiencing a respite from the intense heat with monsoon rains. However, the extreme heat earlier took a significant toll, particularly in northern India, where government officials reported at least 110 heat-related deaths. Public health experts argue that the true number of heat-related deaths likely reaches into the thousands. AFP's report stated. Because heat is often not listed as a cause of death on certificates, many fatalities remain uncounted in official figures.

Srinath Reddy, founder of the Public Health Foundation of India, explained that "incomplete reporting, delayed reporting, and misclassification of deaths" lead to a significant undercounting of heat-related deaths. Despite national guidelines for recording deaths, many doctors, especially in overcrowded public hospitals, do not follow these protocols, as per the report.

"Most doctors just record the immediate cause of death and attribution to environmental triggers like heat are not recorded," Reddy said, as quoted by AFP. He highlighted that heat deaths can be classified as exertional, due to direct exposure to high temperatures, or non-exertional, where vulnerable individuals succumb to heat even indoors.

Dileep Mavalankar, former head of the Indian Institute of Public Health in Gandhinagar, supported the claim that the official number of heat deaths is an undercount. He noted that while there were 40,000 recorded cases of heatstroke, only 110 deaths were reported. "This is just 0.3% of the total number of heatstroke cases recorded, but usually heat deaths should be 20 to 30% of heatstroke cases," he said, as quoted by AFP.

"We need to be counting deaths better," Mavalankar emphasised. "That is the only way we will know how severe the consequences of extreme heat are."