INA–Follow up
A study conducted by researchers from Maynooth University in Ireland revealed that the record-breaking heat waves recently experienced in Europe would not have occurred at this level were it not for the impact of climate change resulting from human activities.
The researchers explained that rising temperatures are appearing earlier in the year, emphasizing that global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions has directly contributed to recording unprecedented heat levels, so this necessitates accelerating emissions reductions and strengthening adaptation measures to mitigate the effects of extreme weather events.
The study relied on climate models that compared the current climate, which has warmed by approximately 1.4 degrees Celsius due to human activity, with hypothetical scenarios representing a cooler climate, to measure the impact of climate change on the intensity of heat waves.
The results showed that if current weather conditions had occurred during the heat waves that struck Europe in 1976 and 2003, daytime temperatures would have been up to 3.5 degrees Celsius lower, while nighttime temperatures would have been more than 2 degrees Celsius lower than those recorded today.
The study also revealed that extremely hot nights are now about 100 times more likely than during the 2003 European heat wave, while the probability of daytime heat peaks has increased tenfold.
The researchers confirmed that climate change caused by human activities has led to increased atmospheric warmth, making heat waves more intense and frequent, and increasing the likelihood of record-breaking temperatures across large parts of Europe.
