Uncovering the Origins: Who's Behind Your Heat Wave?

In recent times, researchers have increasingly employed a novel type of analysis to ascertain the extent to which climate change has exacerbated various natural disasters. Known as extreme event attribution studies, these analyses help clarify the underlying causes, yet they often refrain from assigning blame. However, recent research, featured in the journal Nature, shifts this focus by illustrating the substantial role that emissions from companies and nations have played in the alarming rise of heatwaves since the year 2000. The study scrutinized 213 global heatwaves from 2000 to 2023, including the infamous 2003 European heatwave and the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome. Remarkably, the authors found that one-quarter of these events would have been nearly impossible without climate change. Major emitters accounted for approximately half of the rising heatwave intensity since preindustrial times, disproportionately jeopardizing predominantly Black communities, which endure significantly more days of extreme heat annually. The study analyzed emissions from 180 “carbon majors,” demonstrating that the top fourteen contributors, including entities like Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil, collectively represent 30% of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions.