The World Climate Research Program, a United Nations agency, says that record temperatures in the first half of 2016 surprised scientists despite recognition that extreme weather is becoming more frequent and intense. Earth seems on track to have its hottest year since fairly reliable record-keeping began in the late 19th Century.
Temperatures recorded mainly in the Northern Hemisphere in 2016’s first six months, along with an early and fast Arctic sea ice melt and “new highs” in heat-trapping carbon-dioxide levels suggest faster climate change, the agency said.
Meanwhile, the agency will study whether a temperature of 54 degrees Celsius (129 degrees Fahrenheit) reported in Kuwait on July 21 was a new high for the Eastern Hemisphere.
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