EDITORIAL
As people in New Zealand alternately were rained on, chilled or warmed by some wayward winter weather last week, the outlook was a lot more consistent around the globe.
A Nasa air temperature map of the earth shows an almost blanket red colour - lighter in some areas but darkening to a burned black in others - across the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
According to Nasa Earth, last Thursday NZT it was 42.2C in Seville, Spain, 46.5C in Ahvaz, Iran, and 37.6C in Shanghai, China.
"This large area of extreme heat is another clear indicator that emissions of greenhouse gases by human activity are causing weather extremes that impact our living conditions," said Steven Pawson of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre.
The extreme heat is producing marked changes in countries that historically aren't used to such crispy days, even at the height of summer.
The traditionally ''green and pleasant land" of England is a dry brown, baking under temperatures in the 30s. The hottest area is London and the Midlands, up to Manchester and York.
A 38.7 Celsius record for the UK set in 2019 could be smashed today or tomorrow, with 40-41C forecast and the Met Office weather agency issuing its first-ever "red warning" of extreme heat. On Sunday, the UK Government's Cobra committee held a meeting on the heat, with the government's health warning level at an emergency setting.
Professor Richard Betts, of the University of Exeter, said: "We are already seeing more frequent, longer and hotter heatwaves. We can confidently attribute this to human-caused climate change. We can expect this to keep happening until we reduce global greenhouse gas emission to net zero."
In summer 2022, heatwaves around the world felled records and fueled wildfires as temperatures climbed above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). https://t.co/nC67K3sekq pic.twitter.com/WlyLFi9VHm
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) July 15, 2022
Climate change is in people's faces now - in their streets, melting roads.
During the Tour de France, water has been sprayed on roads to keep them firm for the riders. Chains on Hammersmith Bridge in London have been wrapped in insulation foil to prevent them overheating.
The heat has been turning popular holiday destinations into fire zones.
There are wildfires in Spain, Portugal and France - occurring earlier than usual in the summer after a dry, hot northern spring. The more than 30,000 hectares burned so far in Portugal are already more than the country's total amount for 2021.
"All heatwaves studied so far in Europe are getting warmer," said Robert Vautard of Sorbonne University. "As long as greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced to zero, heatwaves will continue to intensify, become more frequent and last longer."
#ICYMI VIDEO: A car drives through a wildfire in central Portugal, where over 2,000 firefighters were battling four major fires across the country pic.twitter.com/ZWrzU9ODUV
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 16, 2022
Climate change is also implicated in the frequency and severity of other extreme events such as floods and storms.
The recent election in Australia, which has been battered in recent years by damaging fires and floods, saw the influence of climate-focused voters, and just how mainstream the issue had become.
It's sure to be just as important in the lead up to New Zealand's next election.
When an issue affects everyone, it's important that people keep their representatives honest in order to deliver results for everyone.