Climate threatGlobal challenges

Forest fire in Rhodes. Petros Giannakouris / AP  

Climate threatGlobal challenges  

Study: Human emissions behind the heat waves  

Today's heat waves could not have occurred in principle without human influence on the climate, according to a new study from the World Weather Attribution.  

According to the study, it is almost certain that the heat waves that plagued Southern Europe and North America in July would never have occurred without global warming. 

“The world has not stopped burning fossil fuels, the climate continues to warm and heat waves continue to become more extreme. It's that simple," says Friederike Otto, climate scientist at Imperial College London and one of the study's authors.  

Pictures from Milan and Sicily in Italy. TT / AP  

The heat wave in Southern Europe  

Extreme weather in Italy: Two dead after storm - 48 degrees in Sicily

Italy continues to be plagued by extreme weather as a result of the heat wave in the country. Two people have died after a storm in the northern parts of the country and the forest fires in Sicily close the airport in Palermo, several media reports.  

A 16-year-old girl in Valle Dorizzo died after being pinned under a tree that fell as a result of the weekend's heavy storms, writes AFP. In Milan, power lines have snapped, leaving parts of the city without power. Trees have fallen over train tracks and roads, which has affected traffic.  

In the southern parts of the country, temperatures of up to 48 degrees have been reported, writes the Italian news agency Ansa. In Sicily, the forest fires continue and the airport in Palermo is closed during the day.

    

A forest fire is burning in the Bouira province of Algeria. AP  

Climate threatAfrica's heat waves  

Over 30 people dead in forest fires in Algeria 

In Algeria, 34 people, including ten soldiers, have died in forest fires, writes The Guardian. Around 8,000 firefighters are working to bring the forest fires in the mountain areas of Bejaia and Bouira under control, where at least 1,500 people have had to be evacuated.  

The country's interior minister went out on Monday and appealed to the population to avoid areas affected by fires.  

Scientists rank the Mediterranean region as a "hot spot" for climate change leading to more heat waves, droughts, rising seas and influxes of invasive species, writes Al Jazeera.