World Sees Second-Hottest May in 30 Years as Antarctic Ice Reaches New Low
Antarctic sea ice was 17% below the historical average and touched a record low for the third time in 2023, according to Copernicus agency.
People sit in front of a lake during high temperatures in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Carbon-dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are trapping heat in the atmosphere. That's warming the planet and is the primary driver of more extreme weather events, including heat waves.
Photographer: Anik Rahman/BloombergThe global temperatures in May were the second-warmest in the past three decades as polar ice continues to melt, according to a monthly report by Europe’s Earth observation agency Copernicus.
The area covered by sea ice in Antarctica last month touched a new low — third time to happen this year — and was 17% below average for the period between 1979 and 2023. It also coincided with unprecedented temperatures over all oceans that aren’t covered by ice, the report said.