The year the data got loud
August 2026 was, with July 2023, the warmest month in the Copernicus record. In June, Europe had a heatwave that scientists say would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago. In August, a collapse of ice and rock in the Himalaya set off a flood in which at least 1,455 people died in Nepal. Here is what the evidence says about six events of the year, and why 198 Parties meet in Antalya from 9 November.