US heatwave threatens 250th anniversary events and World Cup

The scorching heat blanketing much of the US this week would have been “virtually impossible” if not for the climate crisis, researchers have found, warning that the high temperatures could threaten Independence Day celebrations and World Cup matches this weekend.

“The climate the country has today is fundamentally different to the one it had when the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence,” said Theodore Keeping, extreme weather and wildfire researcher at Imperial College London, in a press release.

The analysis from World Weather Attribution, an international consortium of climate researchers, comes as a high-pressure system, or heat dome, brings hot and humid conditions to a large swath of the central and eastern United States, as well as southern parts of Canada.

Even amid the climate crisis, caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, such heatwaves are rare, the analysis says, occurring an estimated one time in every 200 years.

But if planet-warming emissions had not heated the planet by 1.4C (2.5F), such events would not have been expected to occur even once in many thousands of years, the researchers found.

The mercury is expected to soar in the US capital of Washington DC, as thousands gather to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country.

World Cup matches will also be affected. France’s match against Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday is expected to see levels of extreme heat that a global players’ union has previously said should trigger the delay or postponement of games, and a Miami game between Cape Verde and Argentina scheduled the day before is also expected to be played in potentially dangerous heat and humidity.

It’s an urgent warning showing that the world must immediately begin the swift drawdown of greenhouse gas pollution, said Friederike Otto, professor of climate science at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, in the release.

“When a historic Fourth of July celebration is disrupted, and World Cup matches are played in conditions that are unsafe for players and fans, it shouldn’t take another scientific study to wake people up,” she said.

“Climate change is here; it’s already impacting the things we enjoy in our everyday lives, and it will continue to get worse the longer we drag out the inevitable transition to net zero emissions.”

Read the full story at The Guardian ↗

A high-pressure system is bringing extreme heat to much of central and eastern North America this week. Climate researchers have determined that human-caused warming made this particular heatwave virtually impossible to occur naturally. The event coincides with Independence Day celebrations in Washington DC and World Cup matches scheduled in Philadelphia and Miami, both of which will take place under dangerous heat conditions. Researchers note that while such heatwaves remain rare occurrences under current climate conditions, they would be far more unlikely in a climate unaffected by greenhouse gas emissions.

Read the full story at The Guardian ↗

The scorching heat blanketing much of the US this week would have been “virtually impossible” if not for the climate crisis, researchers have found, warning that the high temperatures could threaten Independence Day celebrations and World Cup matches this weekend.

“The climate the country has today is fundamentally different to the one it had when the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence,” said Theodore Keeping, extreme weather and wildfire researcher at Imperial College London, in a press release.

The analysis from World Weather Attribution, an international consortium of climate researchers, comes as a high-pressure system, or heat dome, brings hot and humid conditions to a large swath of the central and eastern United States, as well as southern parts of Canada.

Even amid the climate crisis, caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, such heatwaves are rare, the analysis says, occurring an estimated one time in every 200 years.

But if planet-warming emissions had not heated the planet by 1.4C (2.5F), such events would not have been expected to occur even once in many thousands of years, the researchers found.

The mercury is expected to soar in the US capital of Washington DC, as thousands gather to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country.

World Cup matches will also be affected. France’s match against Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday is expected to see levels of extreme heat that a global players’ union has previously said should trigger the delay or postponement of games, and a Miami game between Cape Verde and Argentina scheduled the day before is also expected to be played in potentially dangerous heat and humidity.

It’s an urgent warning showing that the world must immediately begin the swift drawdown of greenhouse gas pollution, said Friederike Otto, professor of climate science at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, in the release.

“When a historic Fourth of July celebration is disrupted, and World Cup matches are played in conditions that are unsafe for players and fans, it shouldn’t take another scientific study to wake people up,” she said.

“Climate change is here; it’s already impacting the things we enjoy in our everyday lives, and it will continue to get worse the longer we drag out the inevitable transition to net zero emissions.”

Read the full story at The Guardian ↗

A high-pressure heat dome is bringing extreme heat to central and eastern US and southern Canada this week. World Weather Attribution researchers found this heatwave would be virtually impossible without climate change that has warmed the planet 1.4°C. Such heatwaves are estimated to occur once every 200 years in today's climate. Without planetary warming from greenhouse gases, such events would not be expected to occur even once in many thousands of years. Extreme heat is expected in Washington DC during the 250th Independence Day celebrations this weekend. France vs Paraguay World Cup match in Philadelphia on Saturday and Cape Verde vs Argentina match in Miami on Friday are scheduled to occur in potentially dangerous heat and humidity. Climate change represents an urgent warning that the world must immediately begin swift drawdown of greenhouse gas pollution. World Cup matches played in unsafe conditions for players and fans should serve as a wake-up call about climate change impacts on everyday life.

Read the full story at The Guardian ↗

• A severe heatwave is affecting much of the US this week, with extreme heat expected in Washington DC during 250th Independence Day celebrations and during World Cup matches in Philadelphia and Miami this weekend.
• Climate researchers at World Weather Attribution found this heatwave would be virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, which has warmed the planet by 1.4°C.
• Such extreme heat events are estimated to occur once every 200 years in today's climate, but would be expected less than once every many thousands of years without greenhouse gas emissions.