Global temperatures reach record highs, exceeding Paris Agreement limits

Global temperatures have reached critical milestones, with recent data indicating that August 2026 and July 2023 competed for the title of the warmest month on record. In August, the average air temperature reached 16.96 °C, representing an increase of 1.65 °C compared to pre-industrial levels. This figure exceeds the 1.5 °C threshold established by the Paris Agreement.

The period from June to August 2026 matched 2024 as the hottest quarter ever recorded. This thermal escalation is attributed to a heavy reliance on fossil fuels and the influence of the El Niño phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific.

In the United States, NOAA reported that July was the hottest month recorded since 1895. The average temperature across the 48 contiguous states was 3.3 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average, surpassing previous records set in 1936 and 2012.