How deadly heatwaves are blown up by climate change
Summary
TLDRClimate scientist Adam discusses the alarming impact of climate change on heatwaves, explaining how burning fossil fuels increases their frequency and intensity. He highlights the deadly consequences of extreme heat, emphasizing the need for better education, infrastructure, and support networks to protect vulnerable populations. Adam calls for urgent action to reduce CO2 emissions to prevent worsening heatwaves and their devastating effects.
Takeaways
- π‘οΈ Heatwaves are intensifying globally, with extreme temperatures being recorded even before the full onset of summer in the northern hemisphere.
- π Research indicates that climate change is turbocharging heatwaves, making them more severe and frequent.
- π₯ The burning of fossil fuels is a primary cause of increased greenhouse gases, which in turn is heating the planet and exacerbating heatwaves.
- π Scientists have found that climate change has made extreme daytime temperatures 35 times more likely and record-breaking nighttime temperatures around 200 times more likely.
- π‘οΈ Every heatwave occurring today is hotter and more probable due to global warming.
- π Changes in average temperatures have a 'supersized' effect on temperature extremes, making rare events more common.
- π³ An analogy is made comparing the increase in average height in a population to the increase in average temperature, highlighting how extremes become more common.
- π Heatwaves are silent killers, causing heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and a significant rise in heat-related deaths, especially among the most vulnerable populations.
- π Protection from heatwaves involves staying hydrated and cool, but this is challenging for those without adequate housing or who must work outdoors.
- π οΈ Measures to protect against heatwaves include better education, infrastructure improvements like better housing and cooling centers, and support networks for the vulnerable.
- π Stopping the heating of the planet by ceasing the burning of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions can halt the worsening of heatwaves.
- π³ The script ends with a warning about the potential devastating effects on the Amazon rainforest if climate change is not addressed.
Q & A
What is the main concern discussed in the video script?
-The main concern discussed in the video script is the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves around the world, which are being exacerbated by climate change.
What is the role of fossil fuels in intensifying heatwaves?
-Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which trap heat and contribute to global warming, making heatwaves more extreme and less rare.
How does the climate scientist Adam, with a PhD from Oxford, frame the urgency of the current heatwave situation?
-Adam frames the urgency by highlighting the devastating impacts of heatwaves globally, such as the high death toll during the Hajj pilgrimage and the widespread suffering in the US, Europe, and Asia.
What is the 'heat dome' phenomenon mentioned in the script?
-The 'heat dome' is a weather phenomenon where a large area of high pressure traps hot air, leading to extreme heat and making it difficult for the temperature to cool down.
How does climate change increase the likelihood of extreme temperatures?
-Climate change increases the likelihood of extreme temperatures by making what used to be rare heatwaves more common and more intense due to the overall warming of the planet.
What is the analogy used by Adam to explain the impact of shifting average temperatures on extreme heat events?
-Adam uses the analogy of average height in Germany compared to the UK, where an increase in the average height leads to more occurrences of very tall people, similarly, an increase in average temperatures leads to more occurrences of extreme heat events.
What are some of the health risks associated with extreme heat according to the script?
-The health risks associated with extreme heat include heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and the inability of the body to regulate its internal temperature, which can cause organs to overheat and fail.
How have heat-related deaths changed in Europe over the past 20 years as mentioned in the script?
-Heat-related deaths in Europe have increased by almost a third in just 20 years, indicating the growing impact of heatwaves on human health.
What are some of the protective measures suggested in the script to mitigate the effects of heatwaves?
-The script suggests protective measures such as education about what to do during extreme heat, better infrastructure like cooling centers and housing, and support networks to check on vulnerable individuals in communities.
What is the long-term solution proposed by Adam to prevent heatwaves from getting worse?
-The long-term solution proposed by Adam is to stop burning fossil fuels and emitting CO2, which would halt the further worsening of heatwaves.
What additional consequence is mentioned in the script if we do not address the issue of climate change?
-The script mentions the potential destruction of the Amazon rainforest as an additional consequence if we do not address climate change.
Outlines
π‘οΈ Deadly Impact of Climate Change on Heatwaves
The first paragraph introduces the urgency of the current heatwave crisis, emphasizing its global reach and deadly consequences. It explains how climate change, through the burning of fossil fuels and the release of greenhouse gases, is intensifying heatwaves, making them more frequent and severe. The paragraph uses statistical evidence to show the increased likelihood of extreme temperatures due to climate change, highlighting the 35-fold and 200-fold increases in the probabilities of daytime and nighttime temperatures, respectively. It also provides a simple analogy comparing the increase in average height in Germany to the increase in average global temperature, illustrating how this shift amplifies the occurrence of extreme events.
π Protecting the Vulnerable from Intensifying Heatwaves
The second paragraph discusses the societal impacts of heatwaves, focusing on the most vulnerable populations such as the very young, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions. It points out the challenges faced by those without adequate housing or who must work outdoors. The paragraph suggests measures for protection, including education about heatwave safety, improved infrastructure like better housing and cooling centers, and stronger community support networks. It concludes with the assertion that ceasing to emit CO2 by halting the burning of fossil fuels can prevent further worsening of heatwaves, and hints at the broader consequences of inaction, such as the potential impact on the Amazon rainforest.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Heatwaves
π‘Climate Change
π‘Extreme Heat
π‘Greenhouse Gases
π‘Heat Dome
π‘Climate Scientist
π‘Vulnerability
π‘Heat Exhaustion
π‘Mortality
π‘Infrastructure
π‘CO2 Emissions
Highlights
Heatwaves are hitting the world like never before, with extreme heat affecting people globally even as summer has barely begun in the northern hemisphere.
Research is highlighting the deadly nature of these heatwave disasters, emphasizing the urgency of understanding and addressing the issue.
Climate change is turbocharging heatwaves, making them more extreme and less rare due to the increased greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.
The North American heatwave's extreme daytime temperatures were made 35 times more likely, and nighttime temperatures 200 times more likely, due to climate change.
Every current heatwave is hotter and more likely because of global warming, indicating a direct link between climate change and extreme heat events.
The technical explanation for the increased severity of heatwaves is that changes in average temperatures have a supersized effect on extremes.
An anecdotal explanation compares the increase in average height in Germany to the increase in extreme temperatures, illustrating how averages affect extremes.
Heatwaves are silent killers, causing the body to overheat and leading to heat exhaustion and potentially fatal heat stroke.
Heat-related deaths in Europe have increased by almost a third in just 20 years, highlighting the growing threat of extreme heat.
The most vulnerable populations, including the very young, elderly, and those with health issues, are most affected by heatwaves.
Basic protection measures against heatwaves include staying hydrated and staying cool indoors, but these are not accessible to everyone.
Protecting vulnerable people from extreme heat requires better education, infrastructure, and support networks.
Once we stop heating the planet by ceasing the burning of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions, we can prevent heatwaves from getting worse.
The Amazon rainforest is at risk if we do not take action to mitigate climate change and its effects on extreme heat.
The video creator, a climate scientist with a PhD from Oxford, emphasizes the importance of understanding climate change's impact on heatwaves.
The creator expresses gratitude for reaching 50,000 subscribers and promises a special video celebrating the milestone while addressing the urgency of the current heatwave situation.
Transcripts
Heatwaves are hitting us
like never before.
Summer is barely here
in the northern hemisphere,
and we're already seeing
people across the globe
suffering under extreme heat.
And now research is making clear
just how deadly
these disasters can be.
So how is climate
change turbocharging heat waves,
and what can we do to protect ourselves
β now and in the future?
I'm Adam, a climate scientist
with a PhD from Oxford, sharing
what you need to know
about climate change.
And I didn't want to be making
this video right now.
You see, I just hit 50,000 subscribers
and I planned a special video
to celebrate that I was all ready to film
and then...
this.
But seriously, I am thrilled
to have over 50,000 of you
incredible CliMates
in this community.
Thank you all so much
for being here.
And that celebration video is still coming,
and it's going to be a really good one,
peering into the deep future
of climate change.
If you're not already,
make sure you're subscribed
so you don't miss it.
Okay, but there's an important reason
that I'm not making that video right now.
And it's because heat waves
have been devastating our world.
And I really mean
the world here.
There's been devastating heat
all over: temperatures
soaring above 50Β°C in Mecca,
killing over a thousand
people who are making the Hajj pilgrimage.
More than four out of
every five US
Americans sweltering
under extreme heat thanks to a weather
phenomenon known as a heat dome.
And then there's been the heat hitting Europe.
And southern Asia.
And eastern Asia.
So, in summary, an extreme
amount of extreme heat.
But as countless
commenters delight in pointing out:
We had heat waves before
climate change, too!
And they're right. We did.
But today's heat
waves hit different.
You see, by burning fossil fuels
weβre pumping greenhouse gases
into the atmosphere
and heating the planet.
And surprise, surprise, heating the planet
is making heat waves
that used to be extremely rare
more extreme,
but less rare.
But what might actually be a surprise is
just how huge this effect can be.
For example, scientists analyzed
the start of the North American
heat wave and found that
the extreme daytime temperatures
were made about 35 times
more likely because of
climate change.
The record breaking
nighttime temperatures?
Aound 200 times
more likely.
In fact, researchers have found that
every single heat wave happening
these days is made hotter
and more likely because we're
heating the planet.
So, why?
Why is extreme heat
getting such extreme
boosts from global warming?
Well, the technical
explanation is that changes in the average
have supersized
effects on extremes.
But let me give you a less technical,
more anecdotal explanation.
If you've been watching this channel a while,
you might recognize it,
but cut me some slack.
I needed to make this video in like two days.
So I grew up in the UK
but now live in Germany.
People in Germany are on average
taller than people in the UK,
and as someone with average height
for an adult British human,
I noticed this a lot when I moved here.
I definitely saw a lot more people
who were six foot tall.
But I also noticed quite a few people
who are six foot three, a height
that would be pretty rare in the UK.
What I really noticed
though was the super
tall people.
You know, there are heights
so tall, I'd basically
never see anyone that tall in the UK.
But here occasionally
I would see these people who Iβd
previously thought of
as impossibly tall.
It's just the same with changes in temperature.
Shifting the average temperature up has heat
boosting effects on every heat wave,
but by far
the biggest impact is
on the most extremely
tall β I mean the most extremely hot
events, which go from
being incredibly rare,
maybe even effectively
impossible,
to actually happening.
And unlike all the tall
people in Germany β who at their worst
give me a crick in my neck β
all this heat can be deadly.
While the carnage they cause
is much harder to visualize than it is
for floods or fires or droughts,
heat waves are silent
killers.
Too much heat means that the body
can't regulate its
internal temperature, and your organs
literally get too hot to function.
That means heat exhaustion
and then eventually
heat stroke.
And recent research looking at Europe shows
that in just 20 years, heat related
deaths have shot up
by almost a third.
This affects the most vulnerable among us.
Think of the little babies
you know, your elderly relatives
and people who already have
health issues.
But other people are at high risk too.
You see the basics of protecting ourselves
from heat waves aren't
rocket science.
It's stuff like staying hydrated
and staying cool indoors.
But how do you do that
if you don't have decent
housing or don't have housing at all?
Or if you have to
work outside to earn a living?
So we have to do more to protect the most
vulnerable people from extreme heat.
This can mean better education so that
people know what to do
and what not to do
when extreme heat hits.
It can mean better
infrastructure, whether that's better
housing or short
term cooling centers.
And it can mean better
support networks,
checking in on those
vulnerable people
in our communities.
But the hotter we make the planet,
the more severe heat waves weβll have,
more often, as we're
already seeing today.
But the flip side of that is that once
we stop heating the planet β
in other words, we stop burning
fossil fuels and stop emitting CO2 β
we stop the heat
waves getting worse.
So we should
probably do that as soon as possible.
And if you need another
reason to stop heating the planet,
here's what could happen
to the Amazon rainforest
if we don't get our act together.
Okay, until next
time... Bye!
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