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Breaking climate records

In the wake of June’s unprecedented temperatures in Canada and the Northwest of the USA, we look at the role of probability in broken climate records.

June saw a brutal heatwave shatter a number of all-time temperature records in Canada and the Northwest of the USA. But when can we attribute new records to man-made climate change, rather than natural variation? Peter Stott, an expert in climate attribution at the UK’s Met Office, explains how climate change has dramatically increased the probability of seeing such extremes.

Presenter: Tim Harford

Producer: Nathan Gower

Picture: Kids cool off at a community water park on a scorching hot day in Richmond, British Columbia, June 29, 2021. Credit: Don MacKinnon/Getty images

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9 minutes

Last on

Mon 2 Aug 2021 09:50GMT
BBC World Service

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  • Sat 31 Jul 2021 04:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East Asia & South Asia
  • Sun 1 Aug 2021 13:50GMT
    BBC World Service
  • Sun 1 Aug 2021 21:50GMT
    BBC World Service except South Asia
  • Mon 2 Aug 2021 09:50GMT
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