Global temperature breaks 17 Celsius (62.6 F) threshold for first time since measurements began; record expected to be broken soon as summer heats up in northern hemisphere

Carbon dioxide amounts now equal that of Pliocene era some 4 million years ago, when planet was much hotter and south Florida was underwater

'New record adds to disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe,' top climate official says of data

Hottest July measured on Earth since records began in 1880 backs up climate change predictions; 9 of the 10 warmest Julys in past 140 years have occurred since 2005