July 2019 was the warmest month globally on record, according to preliminary data of Copernicus, the EU Atmospheric Monitoring Service. Although the July record cannot be directly linked to climate change, it is widely shared by the scientific community that man-made CO2 emissions make new temperature spikes more likely. The July temperature follows several months in 2019 that have been comparatively warmer than previous years, and this trend evidence is being made in Greenland, where 197 billion tons of water melted during the last month.

According to a recent study published in the journal Nature, the rapid pace of change current temperature is unprecedented in 2,000 years, evidencing the effect of human activity on global warming that we have experienced since industrialization.

Given the catastrophic consequences that loom over life, unless we make urgent changes to curb global warming, more and more institutions have taken the step to declare the alert.

Recently, more than 7,000 universities and higher education institutions have declared a climate emergency in a joint letter to the United Nations. The University of the Basque Country (UPV/ EHU), among others, has adhered to the statement. In the document, the universities commit to achieving carbon neutrality before 2030, promoting research and applied techniques dedicated to climate change, as well as the creation of environmental education and sustainability programs, and empowering the community to determine and implementation of measures to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.