Part Two / How our Planet is Changing

2.2 Heat

All online sources accessed on

  1. and led to more than 70,000 premature deaths Robine, J-M., et al., ‘Death toll exceeded 70,000 in Europe during the summer of 2003’, Comptes rendus biologies, 331 (2), 2008: 171–8, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2007.12.001.

    doubled the risk of that heatwave occurring Stott, P., et al., ‘Human contribution to the European heatwave of 2003’, Nature, 432 (7017), 2004: 610–14, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03089.

    made this heatwave at least 150 times more likely Philip, S. Y., et al., ‘Western North American extreme heat virtually impossible without human-caused climate change’, World Weather Attribution 7 July 2021, https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/western-north-american-extreme-heat-virtually-impossible-without-human-caused-climate-change/.

  2. This high-pressure system, also known as a heat dome Berardelli, J., ‘What is a heat dome? Extreme temperatures in the Pacific Northwest, explained’, CBS News, 30 June 2021, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-heat-dome-extreme-temperatures-pacific-northwest/.

    High temperature extremes are already more common Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, ed. T. F. Stocker et al. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/.

    A child born in 2020 Thiery, W., et al., ‘Intergenerational inequities in exposure to climate extremes’, Science, 374 (6564), 2021, 158–60, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abi7339.

    for each additional half-degree of global warming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, ‘Summary for policymakers’, in Global Warming of 1.5°C: An IPCC Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C above Pre-industrial Levels and Related Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Pathways, in the Context of Strengthening the Global Response to the Threat of Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty, ed. V. Masson-Delmotte et al. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018), https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/spm/.

    eight out of the ten most extreme marine heatwaves Smith, K. E., et al., ‘Socioeconomic impacts of marine heatwaves: global issues and opportunities’, Science, 374 (6566), 2021, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abj3593.

    kill off billions of shellfish Shivaram, D., ‘Heatwave killed an estimated 1 billion sea creatures, and scientists fear even worse’, NPR, 9 July 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/07/09/1014564664/billion-sea-creatures-mussels-dead-canada-british-columbia-vancouver.

    It can lead to mass die-offs Crowe, M., ‘Mass bird death event in Seattle attributed to record heat Monday’, King 5, 29 June 2021, https://wa.audubon.org/news/mortality-event-west-seattle-caspian-tern-colony.

    the 2020 Australian wildfires WWF Australia, ‘New WWF report: 3 billion animals impacted by Australia’s bushfire crisis’, 28 July 2020, https://www.wwf.org.au/news/news/2020/3-billion-animals-impacted-by-australia-bushfire-crisis.

    the extinction of a third of … species Thomas, C. D., et al., ‘Extinction risk from climate change’, Nature, 427 (6970), 2004: 145–8, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02121.

    heat-related illness and even death US Global Change Research Program, The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment, 2016, https://health2016.globalchange.gov.

    impacting our mental health American Psychiatric Association, ‘Extreme heat contributes to worsening mental health, especially among vulnerable populations’, 30 June 2021, https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/extreme-heat-contributes-to-worsening-mental-health-especially-among-vulnerable-populations.

    the risk of interpersonal violence Anderson, C. A., ‘Temperature and aggression: ubiquitous effects of heat on the occurrence of human violence’, Psychological Bulletin, 106 (1), 1989: 74–96, https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.106.1.74.

    political instability National Intelligence Council, National Intelligence Estimate: Climate Change and International Responses Increasing Challenges to US National Security through 2040, October 2021, https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/NIE_Climate_Change_and_National_Security.pdf.