Climate crisis behind extreme heat during winters in South America, says study
Climate crisis the main cause behind unusually extreme temperatures during winters in South America
A sudden wave of scorching heat in central South America towards the end of the winter season was made 100 times more likely by climate change, according to a new study published on Tuesday (Oct 10).
"While many people have pointed to El Nino to explain the South America heat wave, this analysis has shown that climate change is the primary driver of the heat," said Lincoln Muniz Alves, a researcher at the Brazil National Institute for Space Research who participated in the study conducted by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group.
The temperatures in the southern hemisphere shot up to above 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit)at the peak of the winter season in August and September, breaking records.
The research conducted by WWA found that while the naturally occurring El Nino warming phenomenon was partly to be blamed, climate change was mainly behind driving temperatures up between 1.4 and 4.3 degrees.
A team of 12 researchers examined 10 hottest winter days over a region encompassing Paraguay, central Brazil and regions of Bolivia and Argentina in order to study the connection between extreme weather and climate change.
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"The scientists found that these extreme heat episodes in South America outside the summer months would have been extremely unlikely without human-caused climate change," read a statement on the study.
"Heat episodes like these will become even more frequent and extreme if greenhouse gas emissions are not rapidly reduced to net zero."
In Sao Paulo, which is the biggest city in Latin America, the heatwave claimed the lives of four people.
"Heat kills, particularly in spring, before people are acclimatized to it," said Julie Arrighi, a director at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre.
"Temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in early spring are incredibly extreme and while we are aware of just four heat-related fatalities, it's likely the true number is much higher."
(With inputs from agencies)
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