According to data from the EU climate monitor, August 2026 was the hottest month in Copernicus's observation history, matching July 2023 in temperature readings. Furthermore, global ocean temperatures and summer in Western Europe also reached record levels.
In response to this assessment, the UN Climate Service warned that as long as humanity does not abandon fossil fuels, the planet will move deeper into uncharted territory.
Copernicus observations cover the period since 1940, but other data sources, such as ice cores, tree rings, and coral skeletons, allow scientists to relate modern climate to a much longer historical context. Samantha Burgess of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, who oversees Copernicus, told AFP that people have not seen temperatures as high as current ones possibly for at least the last 100,000 years.
Copernicus reported that the average global air temperature in August was 16.96°C, exceeding the previous monthly record set in July 2023 by only 0.01°C. Given this small difference, Copernicus considers both months jointly the warmest.
Scientists argue that human activity, primarily the burning of coal, oil, and gas, has led to the planet warming by approximately 1.4°C compared to the pre-industrial period, and has also increased the probability and severity of extreme weather events. Nevertheless, greenhouse gas emissions that trap heat reached new highs in 2025.
UN Chief Climate Specialist Simon Stiel commented on the Copernicus report, stating: 'The evidence is irrefutable: it is a spiral increase in the price of humanity's dependence on fossil fuels and the global climate crisis it fuels.'
Period of High Temperature
The sea surface temperature also set a new daily maximum and matched the August record, extending a three-month series of record ocean warming. Over 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions has been absorbed by the oceans, which saved the land from warming but brought serious consequences for marine life, reefs, and coastal communities.
Records fell in overheated basins such as the Atlantic and Mediterranean, as well as in the tropical Pacific Ocean, where the strongest El Niño weather pattern of the modern era is rapidly gaining strength. These events are characterized by unusually warm water in the Pacific but increase the likelihood of severe weather thousands of miles away from these areas—from floods in Peru to droughts in Africa and wildfires in Australia.
The natural climate cycle phase, El Niño episodes, usually cause a temporary spike in global temperatures that are already elevated by long-term background warming. Scientists expect records to continue falling in the coming months as this 'super' El Niño approaches peak intensity around December, and 2027—and possibly 2026—will be the hottest years in observational history.
Frédérique Otto, a climatologist from Imperial College London, noted: 'Climate change is making every El Niño hotter, and until we stop burning coal, oil, and gas, these record-breaking months will simply keep appearing.'
Excess Mortality
Copernicus also noted that August marked the end of the hottest summer in Western Europe, surpassing the long-standing 2003 record. The season from June to August was characterized by strong, persistent heatwaves, which led to school closures, river low flows, and preparation of land for devastating wildfires.
According to estimates from the EuroMomo continental monitoring platform, over 32,000 cases of excess mortality were recorded in Europe between mid-July and mid-August. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution network concluded that the particularly intense heatwave in June would have been 'practically impossible' without the influence of climate change.
However, abnormal heat was felt worldwide. On Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the US had recorded its hottest consecutive summer in history. Furthermore, according to an analysis of Copernicus data conducted by AFP, regions inhabited by about 900 million people experienced the hottest July ever observed.
Burgess, an oceanographer and strategic director at ECMWF, stated: 'We had an exceptional summer—not only in Europe but in other parts of the world where records that existed for almost a century collapsed.' She added that the climate 'will become increasingly extreme if we do not turn off the tap of global emissions.'