Climate change made UK heatwave 10 times more likely

It would have been 4 deg C cooler without influence of greenhouse gas emissions: Study

- David Fogarty

The record heatwave that baked Britain earlier this month, triggering dozens of fires and disrupting travel, was made at least 10 times more likely because of climate change, an analysis by an international group of scientists released yesterday has found.

The study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) initiative examined the July 18-19 heatwave that broke temperature records across parts of Britain.

It found that without the influence of greenhouse gas emissions, the event would have been far more unlikely and temperatures 4 deg C cooler.

During the heatwave, temperatures hit 40.3 deg C in Coningsby in Lincolnshire, breaking the previous maximum national temperature record of 38.7 deg C set in 2019.

More than 840 people may have died in England and Wales, according to a preliminary analysis cited by the researchers.

The final death toll will not be known for weeks, but it is likely to be high in a country unaccustomed to such heat extremes.

The World Health Organisation’s European office said on July 22 that the heatwave baking Europe had caused over 1,700 deaths on the Iberian Peninsula alone.