This article says climate change is “believed to have played a role” in the UK's extreme heat this week.
As a climate scientist, let me fact-check that.
First, climate change is not a religion. No belief is required. It is about evidence.
And the evidence has been crystal clear for more than two decades: climate change is making heat waves hotter, longer, more frequent and more dangerous.
In fact, science has advanced far beyond saying climate change merely “played a role.” Today, we can quantify how much more likely and how much hotter climate change made a specific event.
Here's the bottom line:
Climate is changing. Humans are responsible. And we are experiencing the impacts now. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that solutions already exist, and the majority of people care - 89%, around the world!
But meaningful action depends on helping people understand not just what is happening: we need to know how it affects our lives (this heat wave being example A today) and what we can do about it.
That’s the opportunity this reporting missed.
https://t.co/vYfPDKcWWf
Bank holiday Monday was a record breaking day
🌡️ Hottest UK day in May on record - 34.8°C at Kew Gardens
🌡️ Highest daily UK minimum temperature on record for May - 19.4°C at Kenley Airfield
🌡️ Hottest day in May on record for Wales - 32.2°C at Hawarden
🌡️ Hottest UK Bank Holiday day on record
@rothleyweather Hopefully not too bad a summer to follower this year. Selfishly it was nice to have sunshine on my birthday yesterday, its not often I get to have a BBQ
We’ve provisionally recorded the UK’s highest daily minimum temperature for May on record 🌡️
Temperatures didn’t fall below 19.4°C at Kenley Airfield overnight, provisionally breaking the previous May record of 18.9°C set back in 1944
My friend Jak Mason is raising £2000 to support Liam in his road to recovery🤍. Check out their @JustGiving page and please donate if you can. Thank you! #JustGiving https://t.co/ezuAehlqDu
If you’re near Richmond Park in Hinckley today get along to support Jak who’s running a 102km fundraiser round the park today in support of his Friend Liam who was brutally attacked on a night out Well done Jak 102km in any weather is a challenge in this heat it’s incredibly hard
If the Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner has two million to spend on policing he should spend it on putting more police on local streets in towns like Hinckley not on private security patrols https://t.co/dcZgJkXVyY
The Bank Holiday weekend will see an exceptional spell of warmth for May with a notable heatwave forecast.
Get the full story in our latest news release 👇
https://t.co/iGqtqR8EjD