World shatters heat record for the second time in just two days

The world registered its hottest day on record for the second time in just two days, according to the latest data compiled by the European Union's climate monitor.

The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said Wednesday that the global average surface temperature climbed to 17.15 degrees Celsius (62.87 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday — eclipsing the previous record of 17.09 degrees Celsius, which had been set Sunday.

C3S, which has been tracking the daily global mean temperature since 1940, said Sunday's record had already shown "we are now in truly uncharted territory."

The EU's climate monitor has warned that new temperature records are inevitable as the planet keeps warming.

Scientists have repeatedly called for urgent and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to stop global average temperatures rising.

The fresh all-time high comes as excessive heat has gripped large parts of the U.S., Russia and southern Europe in recent days.

"Sunday's reign as the hottest day ever recorded on planet earth lasted until...Monday," Bill McKibben, an environmental activist, said via social media.

Extreme heat is made much more likely by the climate crisis, the chief driver of which is the burning of fossil fuels.