But busted ERAs were the least of the concerns as record temperatures swept across Western Europe, where previous heat waves had been surprisingly deadly. France recorded its highest temperature ever — nearly 115 degrees in Gallargues-le-Montueux, near Montpellier — on June 28. Temperatures in the country were 28 degrees above normal. Major school exams were postponed. In Germany, authorities sprayed down trees to keep them cool. Heat damaged Swiss train tracks. Wildfires blazed in Spain. Experts warn that the final toll will take weeks to determine.
What is already clear, however, is the heat wave’s potential connections to human-caused global warming. We do not say this simply because climate change makes heat waves in general more likely, though that is true. It is also because an international consortium of scientists released on Tuesday a report seeking to quantify how global warming may have played into last week’s highs in particular.
View the complete July 5 commentary Editorial Board on The Washington Post website here.