The record-breaking heatwave sweeping across Western Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without human-induced climate change, with scientists saying global warming has made this week’s extreme night-time temperatures 100 times more likely than they were just two decades ago.
The findings were published on Friday by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, which described the current heatwave as the most severe ever recorded across the region it studied.
The analysis found that climate change has significantly intensified Europe’s heatwaves in recent decades. According to the researchers, a similar heatwave in June 1976 would have been about 3.5 degrees Celsius cooler than the current event.
Britain recorded its highest-ever temperature for June on Thursday as the heatwave, which has claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies and forced the closure of schools and cultural landmarks, continued across much of Europe.
The WWA also found that 45% of more than 800 European cities analysed have either recorded or are expected to record their highest levels of heat stress for late June. Heat stress occurs when the human body can no longer cool itself effectively through sweating.