July 2023 was the warmest month in history . Even more alarming is that European Space Agency (ESA) reported that this year's record heat has caused global average temperatures to rise 1.5℃ above their pre-industrial average. On the front page of many newspapers this worrying news seemed to indicate that we have exceeded the goal of the Paris Agreement signed in 2015 to limit warming to 1.5℃. And ten years earlier than expected. Are the dice really rolled? Are we finally over it? Like everything related to climate change, it's not that simple. This threshold was exceeded for a month before average temperatures finally dropped again. However, July 2023 is not the first: this great honor belongs February 2016 , where this limit has been exceeded for several days. (Ailie Gallant , Kimberley Reid , Monash University)