The Facts
According to US National Centers for Environmental Prediction data, July 4 was the hottest day ever recorded worldwide — in as many as 125K years — with the average global temperature logging 17.18°C (62.92°F).
The same record was broken the previous day on July 3, when the average global temperature reached 17.01°C (62.62°F), higher than the previous record of 16.92°C (62.46) set on Aug. 14, 2016.
The Spin
Narrative A
Tuesday's record is a warning that the world must brace for more scorching temperatures over the next few months as there is a good chance the average global temperature will exceed 1.5°C beyond pre-industrial times. As the escalating impacts of global warming are now evident, the world must get its act together and accelerate plans to radically cut greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the worst effects of human-induced climate change.
Narrative B
Instead of fear-mongering over the dangers of climate change and blaming greenhouse gas emissions for rising global temperatures, this finding must be put in perspective. It's unfair to claim that climate change is reaching uncharted territory and Tuesday's record is "code red" for humanity when the extreme rise in temperature is rooted in El Niño — a natural weather-warming event that generally makes the planet hotter.
