This summer’s disasters show climate change is very much ‘a rich-country problem’ now
3 years, 4 months ago

This summer’s disasters show climate change is very much ‘a rich-country problem’ now

LA Times  

A man stands under a spray of water to beat the heat at a splash park in Calgary, Alberta, in June. Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. had what climate scientist Zeke Hausfather called “scary” heat that soared well past triple digits on the thermometer, shattering records and accompanied by unusual wildfires. What happens with U.S. hurricane and fire seasons drives the end-of-year statistics for total damage costs of weather disasters, said Ernst Rauch, chief climate and geoscientist for insurance giant Munich Re. Although it’s too early to say that the summer of 2021 will break records for climate disasters, “we’re certainly starting to see climate change push extreme events into new territories where they haven’t been seen before,” Hausfather said. “This pattern of recent Northern Hemisphere summers has been really quite stark,” said climate scientist Peter Stott of the University of Exeter, in southwest England.

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History of this topic

Heatwave hotspots that should not exist are popping up across the world
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Heatwave hotspots that should not exist are popping up across the world

India Today  

The year 2023 has officially been recorded as the hottest year in history, with global temperatures averaging 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average, surpassing the previous record set in 2016. Amid this unprecedented rise in temperatures, a new study reveals a concerning phenomenon: certain regions across the globe are experiencing extreme heat waves that exceed predictions made by climate …

New research forecasts a future of freakier weather, but experts say the risks may be downplayed
3 months, 2 weeks ago

New research forecasts a future of freakier weather, but experts say the risks may be downplayed

Salon  

The effects of climate change are being felt more and more each year. "Our study shows that extreme temperature and rainfall will increase rapidly over many regions of the world over the next two decades compared to the changes we have experienced in the past due to natural variations in the climate," lead author Dr. Carly Iles from the CICERO …

Global warming induces hottest northern summer on record in 2024 as weather-related disasters feared to intensify
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Global warming induces hottest northern summer on record in 2024 as weather-related disasters feared to intensify

ABC  

While Australia is yet to enter its hottest three months of the year, the northern half of the world just emerged from what has been the planet's warmest summer on record. Data published in a monthly bulletin by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service on Friday also showed that the global average temperature for the year from September 2023 …

Millions swelter under dangerous Fourth of July heat wave
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Millions swelter under dangerous Fourth of July heat wave

Associated Press  

Around 134 million people in the U.S. are under alerts as an “extremely dangerous and record-breaking” heat wave broils much of the country, according to the National Weather Service. When people are celebrating, “it’s very easy to get sidetracked,” staying out for longer and forgetting to stay hydrated, said Chris Stachelski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “I think …

Floods, fires and record heat: Climate disasters multiply around the world
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Floods, fires and record heat: Climate disasters multiply around the world

LA Times  

California is far from the only place in the grip of a sweltering heat wave. “The climate continues to alarm us — the last 12 months have broken records like never before,” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, said last month. “Until we reach net-zero global emissions the climate will continue to warm, will …

US reels under scorching temperatures, heavy flooding
6 months ago

US reels under scorching temperatures, heavy flooding

Al Jazeera  

More than 50 million people in the US under heat warnings while hundreds are evacuated from flooding in the Midwest. Soaring temperatures have placed more than 50 million people in the United States under extreme heat advisories, while flooding has spurred rescue operations and evacuations throughout the Midwest. The National Integrated Heat Health Information System said on Monday that about …

Extreme heat forecast for Western U.S. may kick off sweltering summer. Here’s the outlook
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Extreme heat forecast for Western U.S. may kick off sweltering summer. Here’s the outlook

LA Times  

A significant early-season heat wave headed for western North America is threatening to deliver stifling temperatures that could break records. A significant early-season heat wave headed for western North America is threatening to deliver stifling temperatures that could break records, prime the landscape for wildfires and kick off a sizzling summer. “This will be another event where a fair chunk …

This summer could be even hotter than last year, climate scientists warn
7 months ago

This summer could be even hotter than last year, climate scientists warn

Salon  

Marine scientist Sharon Gray lives on a catamaran off the Florida west coast. As the cyclical La Niña weather pattern in the Pacific combines with rising sea surface temperatures, Gray predicts a "devastating" hurricane will occur in summer 2024. Gray said that the upcoming summer will bring with it increased melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, which will …

WA had its hottest summer ever, but climate change and heat-related health problems barely made the news
9 months ago

WA had its hottest summer ever, but climate change and heat-related health problems barely made the news

ABC  

In early February of this year, when the Perth heat really got going, my partner was 28 weeks pregnant. "And if we are seeing discussion of climate change around the WA heatwaves, it's very infrequent and often in passing," she said. "We can say that, overall, the reporting of climate change and heatwaves for the month of February in Australia …

New UN weather agency chief says rate of global warming is speeding up
10 months, 2 weeks ago

New UN weather agency chief says rate of global warming is speeding up

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In her first sit-down interview since taking office last …

With El Nino around, the heat is on
1 year, 1 month ago

With El Nino around, the heat is on

Hindustan Times  

This year, forest fires turned swathes of hills and forests to ash in Europe, virtually wiping out an entire town as all past temperature records fell. El Nino conditions, a phenomenon where the equatorial Pacific waters become warmer than usual, are partly to blame for the trend, and it is just getting stronger, making next year likely to become even …

Climate change drives hotter, more frequent fire seasons in the Northern Territory
1 year, 3 months ago

Climate change drives hotter, more frequent fire seasons in the Northern Territory

ABC  

Bushfire experts say climate change is fuelling the massive bushfire sweeping across the Barkly region, which will become more frequent in the Northern Territory. Key points: Close to 80 per cent of the NT is expected to burn by March Experts say global warming is leading to greater fire risk School students are taking to the streets to call for …

This summer was a global record breaker for the highest heat ever measured, meteorologists say
1 year, 3 months ago

This summer was a global record breaker for the highest heat ever measured, meteorologists say

The Hindu  

Earth has sweltered through its hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever measured, with a record warm August capping a season of brutal and deadly temperatures, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Editorial | Mercury rising: On an ‘era of global boiling’ The world's oceans — more than 70% of the Earth's surface — were the hottest ever recorded, nearly 21 C, …

Heatwaves worsen air quality and pollution: World Meteorological Organisation
1 year, 3 months ago

Heatwaves worsen air quality and pollution: World Meteorological Organisation

Hindustan Times  

The extreme heatwaves witnessed by the world recently are increasing in intensity and frequency due to climate change. This extreme heat, compounded by wildfires and desert dust, is having a measurable impact on air quality, human health and the environment, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organisation. The 2023 WMO Air Quality and Climate Bulletin, the third …

Explained | How climate change drives heatwaves and wildfires in Europe
1 year, 4 months ago

Explained | How climate change drives heatwaves and wildfires in Europe

The Hindu  

Europe is once again battling scorching temperatures this summer, with wildfires blazing across the continent from the Mediterranean to Spain. Every heatwave being experienced today has been hotter and more frequent due to climate change, said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who co-leads the World Weather Attribution global research collaboration. Climate change drives wildfires Climate change …

How Global Warming Makes Hurricanes, Floods and Droughts Worse
1 year, 4 months ago

How Global Warming Makes Hurricanes, Floods and Droughts Worse

Bloomberg  

Scientists have predicted for decades that the burning of fossil fuels would push average temperatures ever higher and conjure dangerous extremes. Many heat waves, cyclones, floods, droughts and wildfires — including ones making headlines in 2023 — are now routinely tied to climate change. And heat, along with dryness and wind, fuels forest fires, which is why scientists have become …

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warns Earth in ‘era of global boiling’
1 year, 4 months ago

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warns Earth in ‘era of global boiling’

The Hindu  

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres on July 27 pleaded for immediate radical action on climate change, saying that record-shattering July temperatures show Earth has passed from a warming phase into an “era of global boiling.” Speaking in New York, the secretary-general described the intense heat across the Northern Hemisphere as a “cruel summer.” “For the entire planet, it is a disaster,” …

UK’s 40C summer of 2022 ‘will seem cool’ as extreme weather events become frequent, Met Office warns
1 year, 4 months ago

UK’s 40C summer of 2022 ‘will seem cool’ as extreme weather events become frequent, Met Office warns

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The sweltering 40C summer in Britain last year “will be considered cool” by the turn …

UN chief says Earth in ‘era of global boiling’, calls for radical action
1 year, 4 months ago

UN chief says Earth in ‘era of global boiling’, calls for radical action

Al Jazeera  

UN chief Antonio Guterres calls the intense heat across the northern hemisphere ‘terrifying’ as he calls for radical action on climate change. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday pleaded for immediate radical action on climate change, saying that record-shattering July temperatures show Earth has passed from a warming phase into an “era of global boiling”. “For the entire planet, …

Playing with fire: We are not just breaking heat records, we are smashing them
1 year, 4 months ago

Playing with fire: We are not just breaking heat records, we are smashing them

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The frequency and intensity of recent …

Heatwaves in Europe, China and America could not have occurred without climate change: study
1 year, 4 months ago

Heatwaves in Europe, China and America could not have occurred without climate change: study

The Hindu  

The fingerprints of climate change are all over the intense heat waves gripping the globe this month, a new study finds. “Had there been no climate change, such an event would almost never have occurred,” said study lead author Mariam Zachariah, a climate scientist at Imperial College of London. Since the advent of industrial-scale burning, the world has warmed 2.2 …

Human-induced climate crisis responsible for killer heatwaves sweeping planet, scientists say
1 year, 4 months ago

Human-induced climate crisis responsible for killer heatwaves sweeping planet, scientists say

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The researchers evaluated the role of climate crisis in these extreme heat events using peer-reviewed methods, weather station data …

Climate change leaves fingerprints on July heat waves around the globe, study says
1 year, 4 months ago

Climate change leaves fingerprints on July heat waves around the globe, study says

Associated Press  

The fingerprints of climate change are all over the intense heat waves gripping the globe this month, a new study finds. Since the advent of industrial-scale burning, the world has warmed 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit, so “the role of climate change is absolutely overwhelming,” said Imperial College climate scientist Friederike Otto, who leads the team of volunteer international scientists at World …

Climate change leaves fingerprints on July heat waves around the globe, study says
1 year, 4 months ago

Climate change leaves fingerprints on July heat waves around the globe, study says

LA Times  

Charles Johnson, 51, who lives in a homeless encampment in Blythe, Calif., tries to get relief from the heat by pouring cold water on his head. The fingerprints of climate change are all over the intense heat waves gripping the globe this month, a new study finds. Since the advent of industrial-scale burning, the world has warmed 2.2 degrees, so …

Heat waves in US and Europe would have been ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change, new report finds
1 year, 4 months ago

Heat waves in US and Europe would have been ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change, new report finds

CNN  

CNN — Extreme heat waves across three continents this month were made significantly more likely by the human-caused climate crisis, according to a new analysis released Tuesday as temperatures are still blazing in parts of the Northern Hemisphere. The “heat hell” searing parts of the United States and southern Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, while climate …

Hellhounds of summer: The hottest heatwave in human history just keeps getting worse
1 year, 5 months ago

Hellhounds of summer: The hottest heatwave in human history just keeps getting worse

Salon  

The global heatwave continues to sizzle as humanity experiences its hottest summer on record. Welcome to the world altered by climate change: Heatwaves are so bad, they've been named after literal hellhounds, at least in the case with the ongoing European heatwave Cerberus, that received its moniker from the Italian Meteorological Society. However, it may be apt considering 61,000 Europeans …

Tourists and residents warned to stay inside as deadly heat hits Europe during peak travel season
1 year, 5 months ago

Tourists and residents warned to stay inside as deadly heat hits Europe during peak travel season

Associated Press  

MILAN — Officials warned residents and tourists packing Mediterranean destinations on Tuesday to stay indoors during the hottest hours as the second heat wave in as many weeks hits the region and Greece, Spain and Switzerland battled wildfires. “We are experiencing hotter and hotter temperatures for longer stretches of time every single summer here in Europe.” The new heat wave …

Heat waves in Europe killed more than 61,600 people last summer, a study estimates
1 year, 5 months ago

Heat waves in Europe killed more than 61,600 people last summer, a study estimates

NPR  

Heat waves in Europe killed more than 61,600 people last summer, a study estimates Enlarge this image toggle caption Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images Heat waves in Europe killed more than 61,000 people — most of them women — last summer, according to an estimate published in the journal Nature on Monday. "The fact that …

UP heat wave made at least two times more likely by climate change, shows analysis
1 year, 6 months ago

UP heat wave made at least two times more likely by climate change, shows analysis

The Hindu  

Climate change at least doubled the chances of heat wave in Uttar Pradesh which swept through the state recently, causing multiple hospitalisations, an analysis conducted using a metric called the Climate Shift Index shows. The analysis shows that certain parts of Uttar Pradesh reached CSI levels of three, indicating temperatures that have become at least three times more likely due …

Heat waves which used to occur once in a century are now expected once in five years: study
1 year, 7 months ago

Heat waves which used to occur once in a century are now expected once in five years: study

The Hindu  

An international team comprising leading climate scientists, which studied the extremely humid heat in South and Southeast Asia in April 2023, said that heat waves in India and Bangladesh which used to occur less than once a century on average can now be expected around once in five years. According to rapid attribution analysis by the team as part of …

UN report says there's a 98 per cent chance one of the next five years will be the hottest ever
1 year, 7 months ago

UN report says there's a 98 per cent chance one of the next five years will be the hottest ever

ABC  

Global temperatures are set to break records in the next five years, with a 98 per cent chance one will be the warmest ever recorded, according to a new report from the UN's meteorological agency. Key points: The WMO report predicts that at least one of the next five years will be the hottest on record An El Niño pattern …

Climate change made April heatwave in Western Mediterranean ‘100 times more likely’
1 year, 7 months ago

Climate change made April heatwave in Western Mediterranean ‘100 times more likely’

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A record-breaking heatwave which gripped southern Europe and North Africa last month was made “at …

Burning Hot: These regions are likely to witness record-smashing heat waves
1 year, 7 months ago

Burning Hot: These regions are likely to witness record-smashing heat waves

Firstpost  

Afghanistan is the most at-risk region for reporting extreme temperatures, says a new study. It also says that no region is safe from the threat, noting that “statistically implausible” extreme heat waves have occurred between 1959 and 2021 in 31 per cent of regions examined. Papua New Guinea and parts of Central America – Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa …

90% of India vulnerable to heatwave impact, says study
1 year, 8 months ago

90% of India vulnerable to heatwave impact, says study

The Hindu  

Nearly 90% of India is in a “danger zone” from heatwave impact and almost all of Delhi is at the risk of severe heatwave impacts, which is not reflected in its recent state action plan for climate change, says a study published on April 19 in the peer-reviewed PLOS Climate. The study, by Ramit Debnath at the University of Cambridge, …

The Severe Implications Of Heatwaves On The Climate
1 year, 9 months ago

The Severe Implications Of Heatwaves On The Climate

News 18  

Today, we live in a world where global warming and climate change are serious threats. With the average global temperatures rising, the probability of extreme hot temperature anomalies is also increasing, further leading to long, frequent and intense heatwaves. The possible solutions to deal with heatwaves’ impact With the rise in global warming, industry reports predict heatwaves will become all …

Extreme weather events are becoming more severe, not less
54 years, 11 months ago

Extreme weather events are becoming more severe, not less

Associated Press  

CLAIM: Climate, weather or meteorological events that we would classify as “extreme” have declined in severity over the last 20 or 30 years. Scientific research has documented how events including extreme precipitation, droughts and forest fires have become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change. THE FACTS: A podcast clip shared on Instagram this week falsely claims …

Extreme heat is a health crisis, Columbia experts say
1 year, 9 months ago

Extreme heat is a health crisis, Columbia experts say

Associated Press  

The record-breaking heat Earth endured during the summer of 2022 will be repeated without a robust international effort to address climate change, a panel of scientists warned Monday. Radley Horton, a research professor at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, stated that human-induced climate change has caused the global average atmospheric temperature to warm by about 2 degrees in the last several …

Study: Don’t blame climate change for South American drought
1 year, 10 months ago

Study: Don’t blame climate change for South American drought

Associated Press  

Climate change isn’t causing the multi-year drought that is devastating parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Bolivia, but warming is worsening some of the dry spell’s impacts, a new study says. The natural three-year climate condition La Nina – a cooling of the central Pacific that changes weather worldwide temporarily but lasted much longer than normal this time – is …

Editorial: 2022 brought more heat and pollution. We’re still careening toward climate disaster
1 year, 11 months ago

Editorial: 2022 brought more heat and pollution. We’re still careening toward climate disaster

LA Times  

New climate data show that 2022 was among the hottest years on record but that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions just keep rising. Another study showed the amount of heat being taken up by Earth’s oceans reached another record high last year. And it’s another stark reminder that despite some recent progress on climate policy, such as the passage of the …

90% of humans will suffer extreme heat, drought due to climate change: report
1 year, 11 months ago

90% of humans will suffer extreme heat, drought due to climate change: report

Salon  

If you are reading this article, there is a 9 out of 10 chance that you live somewhere that will experience future extreme heat weather events due to climate change. In an analysis published for the scientific journal Nature Sustainability, Oxford's Professor Louise Slater and Wuhan University's Dr. Jiabo Yin explain that as the planet's temperature continues to rise, there …

Future heatwaves will lead to large ‘loss of life’, report warns
2 years, 2 months ago

Future heatwaves will lead to large ‘loss of life’, report warns

Al Jazeera  

Publication by the UN, Red Cross says 38 heatwaves accounted for the deaths of more than 70,000 people worldwide from 2010 to 2019. The effects of recurrent heatwaves would include “large scale suffering and loss of life”, population movements and increased inequality, the report warned, adding that these trends were “already emerging”. “It’s grossly unjust that fragile countries must bear …

Climate change made summer drought 20 times more likely
2 years, 2 months ago

Climate change made summer drought 20 times more likely

Associated Press  

Drought that stretched across three continents this summer — drying out large parts of Europe, the United States and China — was made 20 times more likely by climate change, according to a new study. Researchers from World Weather Attribution, a group of scientists from around the world who study the link between extreme weather and climate change, say this …

'Weather-related disasters have increased five times over last 50 years,' says UN
2 years, 3 months ago

'Weather-related disasters have increased five times over last 50 years,' says UN

Firstpost  

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cited the floods in Pakistan, heat waves in Europe, droughts in places such as China, the Horn of Africa, and the United States – and pointed the finger at fossil fuels Geneva: With weather disasters costing $200 million a day and irreversible climate catastrophe looming, the world is “heading in the wrong direction,” the United Nations …

‘Clairvoyant’ 2012 climate report warned of extreme weather
2 years, 3 months ago

‘Clairvoyant’ 2012 climate report warned of extreme weather

Associated Press  

Record high temperatures in urban Europe as heat waves bake the planet more often. In a report that changed the way the world thinks about the harms of global warming, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on extreme events, disasters and climate change warned in 2012: “A changing climate leads to changes in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, …

Heat Waves, Droughts And Floods: No More A Developing World Problem
2 years, 3 months ago

Heat Waves, Droughts And Floods: No More A Developing World Problem

News 18  

Last month, temperature levels crossed 40 degrees in Great Britain. Backing out from Shared responsibility It is only in recent times that the global north has started to see such direct and massive impacts of climate change. Effects of Climate Change Almost the entire globe has been seeing an increase in hotter days and heat waves. Although India has not …

New Study Warns of Dangerously High Heat Levels in India as Global Emissions Rise in Coming Decades
2 years, 3 months ago

New Study Warns of Dangerously High Heat Levels in India as Global Emissions Rise in Coming Decades

News 18  

Many people living in tropical regions like India are likely to be exposed to “dangerously high” heat levels during most days of each typical year in the coming decades, warn scientists in their latest study on impact of climate change. “In the tropics and subtropics, where the dangerous Heat Index threshold was typically exceeded on less than 15% of the …

UK’s record-breaking heatwave will be average summer by 2035, Met Office says
2 years, 3 months ago

UK’s record-breaking heatwave will be average summer by 2035, Met Office says

The Independent  

The record-breaking heatwave experienced across Europe this summer will be considered “average” by 2035, even if countries meet climate commitments agreed under the 2015 Paris Agreement, a new study warns. Sir David King, chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, said: “The science is clear that extreme weather currently faced across the world is at least in large part a …

Heatwaves are getting worse - what role does climate change play?
2 years, 4 months ago

Heatwaves are getting worse - what role does climate change play?

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In the past 100 years, heatwaves have become hotter and more frequent across the world, according to the latest …

Europe’s heatwaves, droughts put focus on climate change risks
2 years, 4 months ago

Europe’s heatwaves, droughts put focus on climate change risks

Al Jazeera  

Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are enduring severe droughts this summer. Italy’s worst drought in decades has reduced Lake Garda, the country’s largest, to near its lowest level ever recorded and warming the water to temperatures that approach the average in the Caribbean Sea. “But actually the drought builds up across the year.” Climate …

DC Edit | Heatwaves are the new normal
2 years, 4 months ago

DC Edit | Heatwaves are the new normal

Deccan Chronicle  

Conspiracy theories on climate change have almost ceased to gain currency as real events have forced people to accept what they are now experiencing year after year. Two latest studies point to the possibility of climate change making extreme weather events happen. The Met Office, Britain’s national meteorological service, says climate change made the current heatwave a whopping 100 times …

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