Jacklin Kwan and Alec Luhn at New Scientist:
A heatwave in May set monthly temperature records across Europe; a heatwave in June became the hottest ever observed in western Europe. Now, in July, yet another heatwave is developing. Just 50 years ago, the June heatwave would have been virtually impossible. But global warming is making heatwaves more frequent, longer and more intense.
Worldwide, heat is the deadliest type of weather, killing more than half a million people each year. The number will increase, since even if we reached net zero tomorrow, the carbon dioxide we have already emitted will keep raising temperatures.
“This is just the start,” says Hugh Montgomery at University College London. “Things are unfolding in a very, very major way now, because this isn’t just about it [being] too hot in London, and the long-term effects are going to be savage.”
More here.
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