NASA's chief climate scientist Gavin Schmidt revealed that this July is likely to be the hottest month in the world in "hundreds, if not thousands of years," as record numbers have been reported in several countries, according to observatories managed by the European Union and the University of Maine, which rely on generating preliminary estimates based on models that combine ground data and data from satellites.

He explained, during a meeting organized by NASA with journalists, that although the results of these observatories differ slightly from one another, the significant rise in temperatures is clearly evident, and this will likely be reflected in the more accurate monthly reports released by U.S. agencies later.

Schmidt stated: ''We are witnessing unprecedented changes around the world... heat waves in the United States, Europe, and China are breaking records, left, right, and center," adding: "For several months, we have seen surface temperatures that broke records, even outside the tropical regions... We expect this to continue. The reason we believe this will persist is that we continue to pump greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere."

According to Schmidt's calculations, there is a 50% chance that 2023 will be the hottest year on record, although he noted that other scientists give it an 80% chance.