Australia’s worst heatwave since black summer made five times more likely by global heating, analysis finds
Extreme heat ‘is getting worse and whether we like it or not … there’s ultimately a limit to what we can actually physically cope with,’ scientist says
TL;DR
- Human-caused global heating made the early January heatwave in Australia five times more likely, according to new analysis.
- The heatwave was the most severe since the 2019-20 black summer, with temperatures exceeding 40C in major cities and regional areas.
- The intense heat preceded bushfires in Victoria that burned through 400,000 hectares and destroyed nearly 900 buildings.
- A World Weather Attribution (WWA) report suggests greenhouse gas emissions had a greater impact than the weak La Niña.
- The climate crisis is estimated to have made the extreme heat about 1.6C hotter, while La Niña likely lowered temperatures by 0.3-0.5C.
- Scientists warn that heatwaves similar to the January event could occur every five years in the current climate, and potentially every second year if global temperatures rise by 2.6C.
- Heatwaves are Australia's deadliest natural hazard, causing more deaths than all other natural hazards combined.
- The WWA uses weather observations and climate models to analyze the role of human-caused global heating in extreme weather events, though their studies are not yet peer-reviewed at the time of reporting.