Scientists at Oxford University have linked the heat, which is established in different parts of the northern hemisphere of the Earth, including the UK and Japan, with climate change. This is reported by The Guardian.
According to climatologist Myles Allen, there have been cases of abnormal heat in the past, for example, in 1976, when England set the highest temperature on record (35.9 degrees Celsius), which caused a prolonged drought. Moreover, the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere in those years was two-thirds of a degree Celsius lower than it is now. However, with global warming, hot days have become more frequent.
Experts from the World Meteorological Organization also point out that the record heat wave in 2018 was widespread in the Northern Hemisphere due to changes in the Earth's climate. The onset of extremely hot days is consistent with a scenario predicting extreme weather events due to ongoing greenhouse gas emissions.
According to climatologists, the heat in Europe will subside in at least two weeks. However, the risk of fires in Scandinavia and the Baltic region remains high. By mid-July, 50 forest fires were recorded in Sweden alone. Fires in Greece are also associated with high July temperatures and strong winds. The heat is caused by a stable system of anticyclones and high pressure areas that have stabilized over northern Europe.
On July 23, it was reported that a record heat was set in Japan, where for the first time in the history of observations, the air warmed up to 41.1 degrees. The high temperature has been persisting for several weeks, causing the death of several dozen people.