According to scientists, global warming increases the chance of an intense heat wave by thirty times, as was the case in India and Pakistan recently. This heat wave would have been one degree cooler if we were still living in a pre-industrial world, without widespread greenhouse gas emissions, concludes the international research group World Weather Attribution Group (WWA).
The heat in India and Pakistan is unparalleled. India has never had such a hot month in 121 years, and April was hotter than ever in Pakistan. There were 51 degrees. It is estimated that at least 90 people died as a result of the extreme heat, the WWA writes.
Compare models
By comparing the available data with different models, the academy calculated the extent to which global warming has played a role. A total of twenty climate models were used with data for March and April from previous decades. According to the scientists, this shows that such an extreme situation is now occurring faster, as temperatures rise.
It will also become more common in the future. Currently, the Earth’s temperature has risen by 1.2 degrees and once it has risen to 2 degrees, according to WWA, extreme weather events will occur not once every 100 years, but once every five years.
Heat wave in India in pictures:
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