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Hot earth.

25 Jul 2019

Heatwave: think it’s hot in Europe? The human body is already close to thermal limits elsewhere

I am a scientist who researches climate hazards. This week I have published research on the potential for a catastrophic cyclone-heatwave combo in the global south.

Yet over the past few days, I have been approached by various media outlets to talk not about that hazard, but about the unfolding UK heatwave and climate change.

It is always satisfying to respond to public interest around weather extremes, but there is a danger that key messages about extreme heat globally are not receiving enough airtime.

It is by now very well established that hot extremes are more likely in the changed climate we are living in.

Yet there is a seemingly unquenchable thirst for this story to be retold every time the UK sweats.

Narratives around such acute, local events detract from critical messages about the global challenges from extreme heat...

Dr Tom Matthews, of the School of Social Sciences, discusses the danger heat poses to countries around the world in The Conversation. Read the full article here

You can also read more about Dr Matthews and Professor Rob Wilby's research into the 'tropical cyclone-deadly heat hazard' here.