According to the report New ScientistAir two meters above the Earth’s surface reached a global average temperature of 62.92 degrees Fahrenheit (17.18 Celsius), breaking the previous record.

Interestingly, the previous global average temperature record of 17.01 Celsius was broken on July 3, one day before the new record. That makes two days in a row the hottest the Earth has seen since records began. Before this new record, the highest global average temperature was 16.92 Celsius (62.46 Fahrenheit).

Two consecutive days of record temperatures are a sign that scientists’ warnings of persistent climate problems should not be taken lightly. Some studies even suggest that deadly climate cycles could begin in the next 15 years and dramatically alter our world as sea levels rise, important forests die, and other catastrophic events ensue.

The temperature was measured and distributed by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and compiled by the University of Maine. The chart they created gives a really good overview of how the global average temperature has risen over the years, finally reaching the new record set on July 4. If temperatures continue to rise, climate problems will no doubt intensify.

Hopefully, we’ll soon see a variety of ideas emerge from scientists and be applied to help halt climate change, to help stabilize temperatures and perhaps even protect key ice shelves that are melting and raising global sea levels to a catastrophic point.