Global warming increased the chance of the deadly heat wave experienced in US, Mexico and Central America by 35 times, according to an international association of climate scientists on Thursday. The World Weather Attribution also said that extreme highs witnessed over that region were four times as likely to occur today as a quarter of a century ago.
WWA analysed the five hottest consecutive days and nights during a “heat dome” that hung out over the southwest US, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras between late May and early June for their study. They concluded “that human-induced warming from burning fossil fuels made the five-day maximum temperature event about 1.4 hotter and about 35 times more likely”. WWA warned if humans continue burning fossil fuels in the near term, these extremes could become more frequent still. “The additional 1.4C of heat caused by climate change is the difference between life and death,” said Karina Izquierdo of Red Cross Climate Centre.