Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
50°C in the United States and China, 40°C in the coming days in Europe: after a record month of June for heat, several regions of the globe are experiencing heat waves, “a coincidence” which is no longer really so one, says Robert Vautard, director of the Pierre-Simon Laplace Institute, which specializes in climate science.
The climatologist explains to our colleagues at AFP that if there is no climatic connection between the different regions of the world, climate change is fueling and reinforcing extreme weather phenomena all over the planet.
Several regions of the world are suffocating under extreme temperatures at the same time. What is this due to?
“For the most part, it comes from meteorological phenomena that are superimposed on climate change. For southern Europe for example, it is a very powerful anticyclone which, combined with the weak winds, remains static and blocks the disturbances. These highs The pressures trap warm air driving up temperatures. This is fed by southerly winds on the western flank that bring scorching air masses up from the Sahara.”
Is there a link between these different global phenomena?
“It is not one phenomenon but several that occur at the same time, but all are reinforced by one and the same factor: climate change. So it is both chance and not chance. And it is That’s why we’re breaking temperature records.
In summer, it is not surprising that it is very hot in certain regions, but if it is so hot it is because of global warming, which makes extreme phenomena more frequent and more intense. This is the case for heat waves and quite logically, with climate change, there is a greater chance that they will occur at the same time in several places on the globe.
With the appearance of the El Nino phenomenon, can we expect an intensification of the heat?
“For the current heat wave, it is still a little early to estimate the impact of El Nino. start, it is still in development and it is only in a few months that its full effects will be felt.
But even without this, we can say that heat waves like the one we are currently experiencing will increase further, both in frequency and in intensity. We expect to have problems, with temperature levels that at times will become dangerous for organisms.”