Will heatwaves wake us up to the impact of the climate crisis?

Heat extremes have increased in frequency, intensity and duration, writes Harry Cockburn

People cool off during the heatwave in Madrid, Spain, on 11 June 2022 (Reuters)

It’s getting very hot again. Yes, it’s summer, but what can anomalous temperatures tell us about the state of the climate crisis?

Just as climate crisis-denying politicians can’t use freak cold winter weather as evidence that environmental breakdown isn’t occurring, those concerned about the state of the natural world must not use hot summer days in isolation to back up climate emergency claims.

Variation in the weather is to be expected – industrial revolution or not. Hot summer temperatures can only be seen in a climate context when they become part of a broader pattern of rising temperatures.