The alarming impact of climate change on heatwaves

WorldEnvironment
11 Sep 2025 • 4:47 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • A major study of more than 200 heatwaves between 2000 and 2023 found that every single one was made more intense and likely by human-driven global heating.
  • Researchers determined that as many as one in four of these heatwaves would not have occurred without human-driven climate change.
  • A small group of just 14 major carbon polluters, including Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, BP, and Shell, were linked to approximately a third of the additional heat fuelling today’s extreme weather.
  • The study indicated that heatwaves became significantly more likely over time, increasing 20 times between 2000-2009 and 200 times between 2010-2019 due to humanity’s carbon emissions.
  • These findings could have significant implications for ongoing climate lawsuits, potentially holding companies directly responsible for extreme weather events and increasing pressure on governments to reduce emissions.

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