Summer has just begun in the Northern Hemisphere but a brutal heat wave is already gripping parts of Europe, China and the United States, where record temperatures expected this weekend are a stark illustration of the dangers of a warming climate. Some regions of China, including the capital Beijing, are also experiencing sweltering temperatures and a major Chinese power company said its single-day power generation hit a record high on Monday. Extreme weather resulting from a warming climate is “unfortunately becoming the new normal,” warns Secretary-General Petteri Taalas of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). One recent study estimates over 61,000 people died from heat during Europe’s record-breaking summer last year. Meanwhile, residents of much of the southern United States have been experiencing unrelenting high temperatures for weeks.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 14, 2023 10:03 UTC