821. Catastrophic Heat Waves Around the World

It has been hot in the northern hemisphere lately. June 2023 is said to be the hottest June on record, and early July was the hottest on record for several consecutive days. But this past weekend, heat waves of unprecedented intensity in the southern United States, Europe, and Asia made headlines for their potential to wreak havoc on human health, ecosystems, economies, agriculture, energy, and water supplies. From July 15-17, Japan was also hit by a dangerous heat wave during the second half of the three-day weekend, with some areas recording high temperatures approaching 40°C, including 39.1°C in Toyota City.

In the Mediterranean region, temperatures in early July exceeded the long-term average by 1°C to 5°C. It is reported that Italy has dubbed this heat wave Cerberus, meaning the three-headed monster of the underworld. High temperatures are expected to continue into August across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, increasing the risk of wildfires.

It is so hot that one wonders if it is really too late to take action on climate change. China and the United States alone account for nearly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But geopolitics has stalled cooperation between the two countries on mitigating climate change for nearly a year. Against this backdrop, Beijing has recorded temperatures above 40°C in recent weeks, and on the 16th, a town in an arid region of northwestern China reached 52.2°C, the highest temperature in the country. In the U.S., it has been suggested that temperatures in Death Valley could approach the 56.67°C recorded in 1913 in the next few days. The timing of these unprecedented events coincides with U.S. Presidential Climate Change Envoy John Kerry's visit to Beijing, China, where the world's two largest emitters will resume negotiations on cooperation to combat climate change and coordinate preparations for COP28 in Dubai at the end of the year. The world is watching to see if the unprecedented pace of record high temperatures will motivate the major powers to take action on climate change.

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Information Program)