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.
Scorching temperatures so far this year also put 2024 on track to be the hottest year since recordkeeping 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…
