LAST month was the warmest November on record by an extraordinary margin, new statistics released by the USA’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have revealed.

The global average temperature for the month was 0.97 degrees Celsius, or about 1.75 degrees Fahrenheit, warmer than the 1901 to 2000 average. It’s the eighth month in 2015 that the monthly temperature has been record-breaking.

It is now virtually certain that 2015 will surpass 2014 as the hottest year globally on record.

Professor Lesley Hughes said November was the seventh consecutive month in which a monthly temperature record had been broken.

“The escalating risks associated with a rapidly warming climate underscore the urgency with which we must act. The agreement in Paris has given us a framework for how to tackle climate change and now we must get on with the job quickly.

“We are seeing records tumble as the realities of a warming world sets in, with sea ice at an all-time low and temperature records being broken left and right.

“Adelaide is experiencing a record heatwave currently and heatwaves in Australia are getting longer, hotter and more intense because of climate change. We must do everything possible to protect Australians from worsening extreme weather events.”

For media enquiries, please contact Jessica Craven on 0400 424 559 or jess@climatecouncil.org.au