July heatwaves ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change

A heat advisory sign is shown along US Highway 190 during a heat wave in Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California, on July 16th, 2023.  | Photo by Ronda Churchill / AFP via Getty Images

It’s been a viciously hot July for much of the planet thanks to heatwaves made worse by climate change. A new study breaks down how much of a role the climate crisis played in bringing on record-shattering temperatures this month.

Huge swathes of the Northern Hemisphere have been sweltering for weeks, with heat domes forming over North America, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Asia this summer. The first week of July was likely the planet’s hottest week on record, according to preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organization. Temperatures breached 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in North America’s Death Valley and parts of northwest China this month. All-time heat records were also broken in parts of Spain,...

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