Global extreme heat waves ‘may not yet be upper threshold’

Climate scientists have used models to confirm that burning fossil fuels made the recent extreme heat wave in parts of the US and Canada hotter and more likely.

When a heat wave began to scorch Canada and the US in late June, killing elderly people alone in their homes and fueling wildfires that wiped out an entire village, scientists said burning fossil fuels had changed the climate enough to make the temperature extremes worse.

“We are entering uncharted territory,” said study co-author Sonia Seneviratne, from the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. “Much higher temperature records will be reached if we don’t manage to stop greenhouse gas emissions and halt global warming.”

The study, which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, is the latest example of scientists using models to swiftly assess the role of greenhouse gas emissions in exacerbating extreme weather.

View the original video here.

Good Living is the Cyprus Mail’s portal of curated content from across the internet, showcasing local and global ideas, cultural highlights, and scientific and technological developments to inspire a sustainable life.