Canada in particular, but also the northwest of the United States, has been hit by unprecedented heat in the past few weeks. Would a severe summer with a temperature of about 50 degrees be possible without climate change?

Only at the beginning of the month was a heat wave in the northwest of the United States and western Canada with temperatures of about 50 degrees Celsius. According to officials, the heat had contributed to several deaths. In the community of Lytton, Canada, about 260 kilometers northeast of Vancouver, 49.6 degrees were measured – the previously recorded 45 degrees in Canada. A few days later, the village was almost completely destroyed in an inferno.

Not only people but also many animals like mussels are suffering from this. according to a picturereport good Marine biologists from the University of British Columbia estimated that a billion animals died in warm waters in the Salish Sea off Vancouver.

extreme weather conditions

In a video conference, international climate researchers explained how these unusual temperatures could come about. “This is a great disaster and a great challenge,” said Geert Jan van Oldenborg, climate analyst at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. picture said. Furthermore, such violent heat waves were 150 times less likely to occur when the world was two degrees cooler, another climate analyst said.

Experts agree that man-made climate change is having a major impact. However, there are still many aspects to be investigated, such as the jet stream (the band of strong wind about ten kilometers above sea level). Experts believe that its power is probably decreasing due to climate change. That’s why summer, rain or winter stay in one place for a long time.

consequences of climate change

However, there is also agreement among experts that such extreme weather conditions will increase and kill productivity and work. Mortality will be high, agriculture will change and food prices will rise. it is according to opinion picture Also Professor Maarten van Aalst, Director of the Climate Center of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent. “We need an emergency plan,” he suggested.

Everyone was affected by climate change in some way or another, the professor said. Heat strokes are especially dangerous for people: if we exceed a certain temperature and humidity threshold, our body stops working. Elderly people and those with previous illnesses are particularly affected.

Is there any solution?

Professor Maarten van Aalst has a clear opinion on this: “We have to stop the risk by curbing our emissions,” reported picture. One thing is certain: if people do nothing, things will only get worse in the next few decades.