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Devastating wildfires and intense heatwaves during what was the third-hottest August on record highlight the urgent need to address climate change and prepare for its deadly impacts, according to the European climate monitoring agency.
Southern Europe endured a third consecutive summer marked by extreme heat, with wildfires ravaging Spain and Portugal. Many regions in Asia also experienced above-average temperatures during a month that nearly reached historic highs.
The world’s oceans, which play a vital role in moderating the planet’s climate by absorbing surplus heat from the atmosphere, also recorded near-record high temperatures for August. Warmer seas are associated with more severe and unpredictable weather events.
“These ongoing elevated ocean temperatures emphasize not only the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also the critical necessity to adapt to more frequent and severe climate extremes,” stated Samantha Burgess, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service lead for strategy.
Human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution, have driven global temperatures higher by releasing large quantities of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.
Copernicus gathers these data from billions of satellite images and weather observations across land and sea, with records dating back to 1940. The global average temperature for August was about 1.29 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels—just below the monthly record set in 2023 and tied again in 2024.
While these incremental increases may seem minor, scientists warn they already destabilize the climate system, intensifying storms, flooding, and other natural disasters.
The latest report highlights that Western Europe experienced its most significant above-average temperatures, particularly in southwest France and the Iberian Peninsula. Spain endured a 16-day heatwave causing over 1,100 deaths, according to the Carlos III Health Institute. Wildfires prompted mass evacuations in both Spain and Portugal. Recent studies indicated that human-induced climate change made these hot, dry, and windy conditions 40 times more likely.
Beyond Europe, Siberia, parts of Antarctica, China, Korea, Japan, and the Middle East saw significantly above-normal temperatures. Notably, ocean temperatures broke records in the North Atlantic near France and the UK. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean experienced a mixed and less extreme temperature pattern compared to 2024.
Countries like the UK, Japan, and South Korea reported their hottest summers since record-keeping began, as announced earlier this month.
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