Generic hot weather photo.
Generic hot weather photo. Contributed

Earth sizzling through 14 months of record breaking heat

JUNE was the hottest month on record globally, new data has revealed.

Earth has now experienced fourteen consecutive months of record-breaking heat, new figures from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have revealed.

Last month also marks the 378th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average.

Overall, 14 of the 15 highest monthly temperature departures in the record have all occurred since February 2015.

In June 2016, the combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces was 0.90°C above the 20th century average.

"The temperatures we have seen over the last eighteen months have been astonishing and extremely worrying," The Climate Council's Professor Lesley Hughes said.

"Normally when records are broken, they're only broken by a very small amount. But what we're seeing now is records being set by enormous amounts, month after month.

"These records are an ominous sign of a climate that may be on the verge of crossing tipping points that will drive further warming.

" Australia's emissions continue to rise and the renewable energy industry has stalled due to policy uncertainty.

"Australia's new Environment and Energy Minister must immediately take action to put in place a plan to rapidly transition our energy systems away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy to protect Australians from worsening heatwaves, bushfires and sea level rise."

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