July 25, 2023 04:00 pm | Updated 05:57 pm ISTSome headlines proclaimed recently that a particular day in July was the warmest in more than a 100,000 years. Scientists derive estimates of temperature anomalies over shorter time scales from tree rings, corals, and the shells of marine and terrestrial organisms. Similarly, in the spatial sense, all temperature proxies are only local or regional estimates of historical temperature anomalies. Endangering climate actionAgainst this scientific background, what is the purpose of blaring headlines claiming that a particular day was the warmest in 100,000 years? It is scientifically impossible to estimate daily temperatures even for a particular day from last year – unless we have a thermometer measurement.

Source: The Hindu July 25, 2023 15:03 UTC