The “heat hell” searing parts of the United States and southern Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, while climate change made China’s heat wave at least 50 times more likely, according to a rapid attribution analysis from the World Weather Attribution initiative. They found that “the role of climate change is absolutely overwhelming,” said Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London. The scientists found that climate change not only drastically increased the likelihood of these heat waves happening, but it is also making them hotter. Planet-heating pollution made Europe’s heat wave 2.5 degrees Celsius hotter, the North American heat wave 2 degrees Celsius hotter and China’s heatwave 1 degree Celsius hotter, according to the report. More than 61,000 people died of heat-related deaths during Europe’s record-breaking heat wave last year, according to a recent study.

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Persons: Greg Baker, ”, Friederike Otto, Otto, Lefty Damian, ” Otto, Richard Allan Organizations: CNN, Northern Hemisphere, WWA, Getty, Grantham Institute, Climate, Environment, Imperial College London, Anadolu Agency, University of Reading Locations: United States, Europe, Death, Phoenix, China, Spain, Italy, Beijing, AFP, Mexico, Southern Europe, Greece's Rhodes, Greece