Enhanced risk of lethal heatwaves in the United States, Mexico, and Central America has multiplied by 35.
The chance of severe heatwaves, like the ones encountered in the U.S., Mexico, and Central America around late May and early June, has amplified a staggering 35-fold due to global warming. This revelation was shared by the research outfit World Weather Attribution (WWA) on a Thursday. The odds of these temperature extremes recurring in the identical regions during this time frame are now four times greater than they were a quarter-century ago. The WWA routinely probes the links between global weather anomalies and climate change.
Heatwaves have always been prevalent. However, the escalating impact of climate change, fueled by a century of rampant fossil fuel consumption including coal, oil, and gas, makes them more potent and regular. Sadly, more lives are lost globally to heatwaves compared to hurricanes or floods.
In the study released on Thursday, WWA scholars scrutinized the top five sweltering days and nights during the heatwave that swept across southwestern U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras during the said period.
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The increase in probability of severe heatwaves, similar to those experienced in the USA, Mexico, and Central America, is a concerning consequence of climate change. This heightened risk can be traced back to global warming and the extensive use of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas over the past century. Furthermore, the study conducted by World Weather Attribution revealed that the odds of such heatwaves occurring in the same regions, during the same time frame as observed nearly three decades ago, have doubled. Central American nations, including Mexico, have become particularly vulnerable to these extreme weather events due to climate change.
