Scientists say July is set to be hottest month on record, with different regions around the world dealing with extreme temperatures.

But where does this information come from?

This information comes from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, also known as C3S.

It is an independent intergovernmental organisation that is funded by the EU to support its members with climate information.

It uses data from satellites and weather stations.

Its findings are also reflected in the work of the World Meteorological Organization, which is run by the United Nations.

In collates information from C3S and five other international datasets as part of its climate monitoring activities.

Image source, Getty Images

As the US wakes up and a brutal heat wave hits, here are some of the top lines across the country. We'll be bringing you more later as President Joe Biden addresses the extreme heat and proposes measures to protect Americans.

What's happening today?

• About half of Americans are under extreme heat warnings today
• New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Washington DC and Boston are forecast to see heat between 85F (29.4C) to 105F (40.5C)
• Another seven heat-related deaths have been reported in Phoenix, Arizona - the mayor will be joining Biden at the White House to discuss measures to prevent deaths
• Biden has asked the labour department to issue the first ever Hazard Alert for heat
• He is set to announce new measures to help workers including investments in better water storage and improved weather forecasting
• Electric grid operator PJM has issued a level one emergency in anticipation of an increased demand for electricity

We'll bring you more from the US shortly. Stay with us.

Image source, Getty Images

Climate change is caused by the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - largely caused by humans burning coal, oil and gas, though there are other causes too. You can read more in our guide to climate change here.

So what can be done to turn things round?

1. Generate energy from sustainable sources like wind and solar, says the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Coal should be retired for good.
2. Reduce methane emissions. A substantial amount of methane is released from "flaring" - the burning of natural gas during oil extraction. Changing cows' diets can also help.
3. Switch to electric vehicles.
4. Plant more trees. Forests are excellent at soaking up CO2.
5. Develop emerging technologies that artificially remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Direct-air capture uses fans to push air through a chemical filter to absorb C02. Carbon capture collects emissions (eg from coal-fired power plants) and buries them deep underground.
6. Financial aid to help poorer countries move towards greener energy.

You can read more about these solutions here.

Esme Stallard
Climate reporter

Image source, John Miller

UN Secretary General António Guterres is known for delivering powerful speeches on climate change, as you would expect from the head of the UN.

But even by his standards, his comments today were remarkably strong.

At times he seemed angry - angry at what he considers the lack of action from governments to reduce their emissions whilst knowing the impacts of climate change.

He pulled on the heartstrings of leaders asking them to think of the “families running from the flames” as he called for more money to tackle the issue.

Wealthier countries have been relatively shielded from the impacts of climate change so far, but he might be hoping that despite the devastating impacts, the last month of heatwaves and wildfires across Europe and parts of the US will spur some action.

Dr Samantha Burgess, the deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service warns that the climate events of this year are only the beginning.

Speaking to the BBC, Burgess says that July 2023 had both the hottest day in human history and the hottest three-week period.

This was preceded by heatwaves and low levels of sea ice in Antarctica, and pushed the global mean temperature temporarily above 1.5C degrees higher than pre-industrial temperatures.

Limiting warming the long-term increase in global warming to 1.5C is seen as key to avoiding the most dangerous impacts of climate change.

She adds that July’s records are unlikely to remain an isolated incident.

It is essential global lawmakers “turn off the tap” of greenhouse gases, she says.

“The number of records that we’ve exceeded in 2023 is really startling, and the rate that those records are being broken is really startling,” she adds.

As we've been reporting, UN Secretary General António Guterres has made an impassioned speech on climate change after scientists said it is "virtually certain" that this July will be the world's warmest on record.

Here is a bit more of what he said.

Speaking at a press conference in New York City, he said: "The consequences are clear and they are tragic.

"Children swept away by monsoon rains, families running from the flames. Workers collapsing in scorching heat.

"For vast parts of North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe, it's a cruel summer. For the entire planet it is a disaster."

If you're just joining us or need a recap, here's what's been happening:

• Amid blistering heatwaves, July is "virtually certain" to be the world's warmest month on record, say scientists - with several days to go, researchers are confident it will surpass a record set in 2019.

• Some experts believe this July might well be the warmest month in the past 120,000 years
• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said the era of global warming has ended, and the era of "global boiling" has arrived
• "We can stop the worst, but to do so we must turn a year of burning heat into a year of burning ambition and accelerate climate action now," he says
• Our climate reporter Esme Stallard has been answering your questions on climate change - stay with us for more

Image source, Reuters

We've just heard from Dr Ella Gilbert who says the pictures coming out of places like Rhodes and California show the "direct impact" extreme weather can have on people's lives.

Climate change is happening in these places and around the world, she says, adding that it has "really profound and tangible effects on people".

The climate scientist, who researches how the Arctic and Antarctic environments might change in response to climate change, said: "We know that we are not doing enough to curb emissions... and we must basically change the way we do things."

We also see heatwaves in the polar regions, she says, explaining how this can have huge impacts on melting ice and sea levels rising.

"What happens at the poles does affect us all...," says, adding that it's "a very important piece of the puzzle".

Image source, Reuters

Here's a little more on that news story we've just brought you, with scientists saying this July is "virtually certain" to be the world's warmest month on record.

Temperatures this July have been "remarkable" in records going back to the 1940s, says Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Scientists are confident the record has been surpassed, even before the month ends.

Data suggests the temperatures this July could be "unprecedented in our history in the last few thousand years," he says.

Possibly even longer "on the order of 100,000 years."

"The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is unfortunately the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future," says the World Meteorological Organisation's secretary-general Petteri Taalas.

Image source, .

Guterres continues by saying "the evidence is everywhere".

Humanity has unleashed destruction, he says, adding that this must not inspire despair, but instead "action".

"We can stop the worst, but to do so we must turn a year of burning heat into a year of burning ambition and accelerate climate action now."

The UN chief says financial institutions must end fossil fuel lending, underwriting, investments and shift towards renewable energy.

Guterres then moves on to speaking about adaptation - adapting to the impact of climate change, for example by building flood defences or designing cities to cope with extreme heat.

He calls on developed countries to lead the way and present a roadmap to double finance for adaptation by 2025.

Guterres says ambitious new national emissions reduction targets are necessary from G20 members.

He adds that we need credible plans to "exit coal" - ending its use in power generation - by 2030 for OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation) countries, while the rest of the world should do this by 2040.

The UN chief says we must reach net zero electricity by 2035 in developed countries, and again other countries have until 2040.

The UN secretary general says: "Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning."

He says fossil fuel companies must switch towards renewable energy sources.

There must be no more greenwashing and no more deception, says Guterres.

We're now hearing from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who says the era of global warming has ended, and the era of "global boiling" has arrived.

He calls for immediate climate action to limit global temperature rise and avoid the very worst of climate change.

Matt McGrath & Mark Poynting
Climate team

Amid blistering heatwaves, July is "virtually certain" to be the world's warmest month on record, scientists say.

So hot has the month been to date that researchers are confident the 2019 record will be broken, even with several days to go.

Some experts believe that July might well be the warmest month in the past 120,000 years.

Scientists agree the extra heat is mainly linked to fossil fuel use.

Researchers are not surprised that July is set to break the current record for the warmest month as there have been plenty of indications in recent weeks that the world is seeing far greater levels of heating.

The world's warmest day occurred on 6 July, and the hottest 23 days ever recorded were all this month, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Their provisional average temperature for the first 25 days of the month is 16.95C, which is well above the 16.63C figure for the whole of July 2019.

You can read more here

What about the cooler weather in the UK?published at 14:23 British Summer Time 27 July 2023

14:23 BST 27 July 2023

Esme Stallard
Climate reporter

Leigh Healey in West Yorkshire says she has had the heating on through July, but there doesn't seem to be much reporting about the lessening frequency of warm weather in the UK.

I certainly wouldn’t want to be experiencing the wildfires of Greece right now but it does seem like summer has been a bit of a washout here in the UK.

That’s because the jet stream is slightly further south this year keeping the hot weather below us in Europe and the rain over the UK.

The jet stream is strong winds that flow from west to east, bringing changes to wind and pressure which in turn affects how "settled" our weather is.

Last year the jet stream was further north which is why we had the heatwaves here in the UK.

Despite this year’s lower temperatures it is not reflective of the long term trends.

The ten-year period from 2013 to 2022 is the warmest ten-year period on record we have experienced.

So the reason we cannot report on lessening warm weather is because it isn’t happening.

Should we be concerned about our homes being too insulated?published at 14:17 British Summer Time 27 July 2023

14:17 BST 27 July 2023

Esme Stallard
Climate reporter

Dafydd Thomas asks whether we should be concerned about our homes being too insulated.

It might sound counterintuitive but insulating your homes does not mean it gets warmer. Avoid comparing insulation to a coat.

If installed properly, most types of insulation should stop the exchange of heat - so stop your home from losing heat in winter and absorbing too much heat in summer.

What makes the biggest difference to your home getting hot is the windows and lack of shading. If you have been to the Mediterranean you may have seen they have smaller windows and shutters to prevent too much heat being absorbed.

For tips on how to keep your home cool: Heatwave: How to keep your home cool

How will rising sea levels affect the UK?published at 14:03 British Summer Time 27 July 2023

14:03 BST 27 July 2023

Esme Stallard
Climate reporter

Alan in Stamford asks what the impact of sea level rises on the UK will be over the next 100 years.

So far we have seen sea levels in the UK rise by 16cm (6.3in) since the start of the 20th Century, barely higher than a sandcastle - it doesn’t seem like much to worry about. But as sea level rises it increases rates of erosion and the impacts of storm surges. We have already seen homes in Norfolk demolished due to coastal change.

But those levels are expected to accelerate through this century.

In Belfast, sea levels are expected to rise by half a metre, while in Cardiff and London the prediction is three quarters of a metre.

Even our most advanced flood defences weren’t prepared for that.

The Environment Agency recently announced defences upstream of the £1.6bn Thames Barrier would have to be raised 15 years earlier than expected , externaland 200,000 homes across the UK may have to be abandoned by 2050 because of rising sea levels.

Can't we reduce water loss from lakes and reservoirs?published at 13:57 British Summer Time 27 July 2023

13:57 BST 27 July 2023

Esme Stallard
Climate reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Sally from Somerset wants to know why companies haven't designed ways to prevent evaporation from lakes and reservoirs.

Covering reservoirs to prevent evaporation isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. Some solutions have been explored but not all have been successful.

"Shade balls" used in Los Angeles were eventually removed, external as it was estimated the amount of water it took to produce them was probably more than what was being saved from evaporation.

Scientists are now looking at putting floating solar panels on reservoirs to achieve a double benefit of producing energy and reducing water loss.

Putting a giant tarpaulin over a reservoir is not ideal because of the size of the reservoirs and the impacts on the ecosystem, not to mention the they would need to be taken off every time it rained to ensure the water was captured.

Image source, Getty Images

The wildfires in the Greek islands have grabbed headlines, but more than 40 people have been killed in blazes in the Mediterranean region.

The heaviest death toll so far is in Algeria with more than 30 victims, including 10 soldiers - but most of the fires have now been contained.

In southern Italy, fires in Sicily and Puglia have been fuelled by high winds and tinder-dry vegetation.

Among the buildings that have been destroyed is the church of St Benedict the Moor in the Sicilian city of Palermo.

And in Tunisia, the country’s interior minister said on Wednesday that all of the wildfires were under control and there had been no loss of life.

Read more: How climate change worsens heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods, external