North America was hit by “the most extreme summer heatwave” in June.
According to analyses from the nonprofit group Berkeley Earth, the North American region experienced temperatures a whopping 20 degrees Celsius (or 36 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than average during the month of June. In Canada, a village in British Columbia named Lytton was hit by the hottest temperature ever recorded in the area on June 29, hitting an incredible 49.6 degrees Celcius (121 degrees Fahrenheit), as compared to its usual averages of 20 to 30 degrees Celcius (68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit) in June.
As a result of these catastrophic heatwaves, wildfires flared and burned down 90 percent of Lytton, while Canada at large suffered 570 heat-related deaths, with another 194 in the U.S.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said that the immense heatwaves would’ve been “virtually impossible” if it weren’t for climate change caused by humans. Research further shows that occurrences of these record-breaking heatwaves will only become more frequent — two to seven times more likely through 2050 — with continued carbon emissions at the level they’re at right now.
In other related news, China has revealed plans to build a thorium, molten-salt nuclear reactor.
