A recent study on Heatwaves linked to carbon emissions

Why in news?

Recently, a study assessing the link between carbon emissions from fossil fuel companies and heatwaves has been published.

• Heatwaves - Heatwaves consist of a period of abnormally hot weather that can last from a few days to months, where the maximum and minimum temperatures are unusually high for a location.
• Heat dome – It is a weather phenomenon caused by a high-pressure system that traps hot air in the atmosphere over a region, similar to a lid, for an extended period, creating dangerous and prolonged heat waves.
• Findings of the study –
  • The study analyzed 213 heatwaves that occurred worldwide between 2000 and 2023.
  • Due to global warming, heatwaves between 2000 and 2009 became about 20 times more likely, and about 200 times more likely between 2010 and 2019.
  • Heatwaves between 2000 and 2009 were 1.4 degrees Celsius hotter, while between 2010 and 2019 were made 1.7 degrees Celsius warmer.

According to a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report, between 2000 and 2019, at least 4,89,000 people died annually from heat, many from climate change-fueled heatwaves.

• • The data from EM-DAT (Emergency Events Database) and Carbon Majors Database are assessed to understand the link between carbon emissions from fossil fuel companies and heatwaves.
  • The heatwaves had been directly linked to carbon emissions from the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies for the first time.
  • The emissions from any of the 14 biggest companies — were enough to cause 50 heatwaves that would have been impossible without climate change.
  • The total emissions from these companies and their products contributed about half of the increase in the intensity of heatwaves since pre-industrial times.
  • Fossil fuel and cement companies are not just abstract contributors to climate change, but their emissions have directly fueled heatwaves.
• Significance of the study -  The findings could be used in courts as evidence and hold fossil fuel companies accountable for human suffering, ecosystem losses, and economic damages worldwide.

References

1. Indian Express | Study linking heatwaves and Carbon emissions
2. The Guardian | Carbon emissions directly linked to heatwaves