Hello, and welcome back to our weekly climate newsletter!

Last month was the world’s joint hottest month on record and the hottest August in history, scientists have said.

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said August 2026 tied with July 2023 for the hottest calendar month in the temperature records.

Additionally, Western Europe experienced its warmest summer in recorded history, surpassing the previous record set in 2003, according to Copernicus.

The scientists said August marked a return to temperatures above a key threshold of 1.5C higher than pre-industrial averages, the first time they have breached the figure since November 2025.

The new record comes just a few days after the UN warned the world is set to cross 1.5C warming threshold agreed under the 2015 Paris climate accord within the next few years

Meanwhile, this summer was also officially the hottest in the 132-year history of federal records in the US, officials said this week, following a record-warm July and August.

Extreme temperatures were fuelled by multiple lingering heat domes from late July through August that experts say were partly driven by human-caused climate change.

The domes brought deadly heat and humidity from coast to coast, though government maps show the worst weather was felt in the US West and South between June and August.

As the world continues to break records for high temperatures, The Independent is preparing to publish its third annual Climate 100 List.

The Climate 100 List celebrates 100 change-making people from around the globe who are finding positive climate solutions across industries.

The list will be unveiled alongside The Independent's Climate 100 event, held in New York on September 22 and hosted by The Independent’s Editor-in-Chief, Geordie Greig.

Oppressive and deadly temperatures have led to the hottest summer on record in the U.S. Data shows some states were hit harder (AFP via Getty Images)

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Must-reads

Stefania Di Bartolomeo was an early proponent of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing movement when she started Physis seven years ago. Her mission was to show just what companies were doing with the money investors gave them to fight climate change and encourage diversity – to bring transparency to sustainable investors.

Ahead of The Independent’s Climate 100 List published later this month, we are celebrating some of the leading lights being honoured for their work tackling the climate crisis. David Callaway speaks to Stefania Di Bartolomeo, who seeks to help people invest sustainably using the power of AI

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