A group of climate scientists stated on Wednesday that the severe heat experienced around the Mediterranean in July would have been 'virtually impossible' without global warming. A lethal heatwave pushed temperatures well above 40 degrees Celsius in southern Europe and North Africa, regions where such extreme summer conditions are becoming more common. The intense heat led to over 20 fatalities in a single day in Morocco, exacerbated wildfires in Greece and the Balkans, and challenged athletes participating in the Summer Olympic Games across France.
World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists specializing in peer-reviewed methods to evaluate the impact of climate change on specific extreme events, emphasized the clarity of this case. According to a report by five researchers from WWA, 'The extreme temperatures reached in July would have been virtually impossible if humans had not warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels.' The analysis focused on the average July temperature in a region including Morocco, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Greece, using climate data to compare the current heat to that of a pre-industrial world. They determined that the heat in Europe was up to 3.3°C hotter due to climate change.
Beyond the Mediterranean, intense heat also affected Paris, where Olympic athletes struggled as temperatures soared into the mid-30s this week. 'Extremely hot July months are no longer rare events,' said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London and a co-author of the study. 'In today's climate... Julys with extreme heat can be expected about once a decade,' she added. Scientists have consistently shown that climate change is intensifying extreme weather, making heatwaves longer, hotter, and more frequent. This recent event occurred during a month when global temperatures reached their highest recorded levels, with July marking the four hottest days ever observed by scientists.
The past 13 months have been the warmest on record, surpassing a 1.5°C limit that scientists believe must be maintained over the long term to prevent catastrophic climate change.
