Brady Dennis of The Washington Post is reporting that a new study concludes that the recent heat waves would not be possible without climate change.
A new study conducted by the World Weather Attribution network, a coalition of scientists, has found that the recent deadly heat waves in parts of North America and Europe would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change. The researchers used weather data and computer simulations to compare the current climate, which has experienced warming of about 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 Fahrenheit) since the late 1800s, with the past climate. They found that these extreme heat waves are now more common due to human-caused climate change.
The study examined heat waves in the U.S. Southwest and parts of Mexico, southern Europe, and a region in China. It revealed that the heat waves in the U.S. and Europe would have had almost no chance of occurring in a world without climate change. Additionally, human-caused greenhouse gas emissions made the heat waves much hotter than they would have been otherwise.
The researchers emphasized that as the world continues to warm, heat waves, stronger storms, and other climate-related disasters are expected to become more frequent and intense. Even if efforts are made to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, extreme heat events will still increase in the near term. However, the study authors also highlighted the need for urgent action to adapt to the changing climate, including developing warning systems, providing cool places for people to seek refuge, and strengthening critical infrastructure.
The article concludes that until significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are achieved, temperature records will continue to break, and heat waves will become more severe, offering a glimpse of potentially even hotter conditions in the future. The researchers assert that this is not the "new normal," and urgent action is required to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Source: The Washington Post
(This article was written with assitance from ChatGPT)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/07/25/heat-wave-us-europe-climate-change/
