The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—which just installed a climate denier in a top position—reported Monday that this summer has been the hottest on record for the Northern Hemisphere. And the month of August was the second-warmest in history for the entire globe, behind 2016. In announcing its latest global climate report, NOAA said that scientists believe that “2020 is very likely to rank among the five-warmest years on record.” NOAA raised eyebrows earlier this month with the news that it has appointed David Legates, who has questioned basic climate science, as a senior administrator who reports directly to the head of the agency.
