July was the hottest month on record

July 2019, marked by an exceptional heat wave in Europe, was the hottest month ever recorded in the world, ahead of July 2016, according to data from the European service Copernicus on climate change.

High temperatures have unprecedented consequences across the globe. These global warming effects cause the glaciers to melt and the sea level to rise. Nowadays, it is no longer uncommon to encounter floods or droughts to regions that were previously immune to such extreme phenomena. These abnormal weather conditions have a massive impact on economies, the environment, health and daily life.

Europe is making sustained efforts to substantially reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and is also encouraging other nations and regions to do the same. For example, France will completely ban the movement of diesel or petrol cars by 2040, announced Nicolas Hulot, the new Minister of the Environment. The measure was announced at a press conference and is part of Emmanuel Macron’s plan to drastically reduce carbon emissions by 2050. France is not the only European country planning to ban the circulation of gas or diesel cars. Germany and India have also announced that by 2030, they intend to have only electric cars on the streets. And the Netherlands and Norway want to reach this performance by 2025.

Copernicus notes that temperatures have been above average in northern areas such as Alaska, Greenland and parts of Siberia, as well as in central Asia and some regions of Antarctica. The World Meteorological Organization estimates that 2019 should be included in the Top 5 of the hottest years in recent history.

The latest scientific evidence suggests that if measures are not taken to reduce global emissions or if these measures are insufficient, by the end of the century, global warming could exceed the 2 ° C threshold and even reach 5 ° C .