August 2023 tied with July 2023 as the hottest month on record globally, according to European climate scientists. The average global surface temperature last month was 1.65 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, marking the first time since November 2025 that monthly global temperatures have exceeded the critical 1.5-degree threshold identified by climate agreements. This milestone highlights the ongoing effects of human-driven climate change and the challenges the world faces in limiting future warming.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that August also set records for sea surface temperatures, with oceans near the tropics reaching unprecedented warmth, driven in part by the strong El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific. Globally, sea surface temperatures averaged 21.07 degrees Celsius outside polar regions, tying the highest values recorded for any month. Scientists warn that this ocean heat is likely to contribute to further global temperature rises in coming months.
Heatwaves and drought conditions persisted throughout August, particularly in Western Europe, which experienced its warmest summer ever, surpassing the previous record set in 2003. Countries including the UK, France, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia faced severe droughts, while major rivers such as the Rhine, Danube, and Dnieper recorded historically low water levels. In other regions, extreme heat affected parts of the United States and Asia; temperatures reached the triple digits from California to Texas, and South Korea recorded its highest temperature ever on August 2 in the city of Yangsan at 108.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Experts emphasize that these events reflect a broader pattern of climate extremes driven by the continued accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to fossil fuel combustion. Simon Stiell, the head of the United Nations body supporting global climate response efforts, attributed the intensified heatwaves, wildfires, storms, and sea-level rise to humanity’s ongoing dependence on fossil fuels.
The findings come amid long-standing international efforts to curb global warming. The 2015 Paris Agreement set goals to keep temperature increases “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, a recent United Nations report projected that the world is unlikely to meet the more ambitious 1.5-degree target, with average temperatures expected to rise between 1.8 degrees and 2.6 degrees Celsius by the end of the century depending on the effectiveness of mitigation measures.
Scientists and climate analysts stress the urgent need for rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions alongside the development of technologies to remove carbon from the atmosphere. They also call for increased adaptation measures to manage rising risks posed by extreme weather events, ecosystem disruptions, and the socioeconomic impacts of climate change.
“The numbers should surprise no one,” said Friederike Otto, a climate science professor at Imperial College London. “You don’t need to be a climate scientist to see the evidence of climate change. You just need to look out of your window,” she stated, underscoring the visible and tangible nature of these environmental shifts.