South America witnessed scorching heat waves during the months of August and September. According to a recent study, climate change and global warming are the major drivers behind these heat shocks. The study was released in the public domain on Tuesday by the scientific group World Weather Attribution (WWA).
The stats shared in the report have noted that this year, as many as 4.3 degrees Celsius temperature rise was recorded.
The report has outlined that climate change has resulted in some uneven temperature patterns this summer. According to the report, the temperature has risen up to 40°C, which is 104 Fahrenheit, in some large parts of Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina in late winter.
The high temperature has caused the death of at least four (4) residents of Sao Paulo, the largest city in South America. However, the study has outlined that the original data will be revealed months after analyzing death certificates.
The co-author of the study – Julie Arrighi, who also serves at the position of the director at the non-profit Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, has stated, “Heat kills, particularly in spring, before people are acclimatized to it. Temperatures above 40°C in early spring are incredibly extreme,” as per the reports by Reuters.
The study has also highlighted that this year, the onset of the climate phenomenon, named El Nino, has pushed the temperature higher. However, it was further outlined that this climate phenomenon was minor as compared to climate change.

In addition to this, the WWA study warned the general public that if the temperature of the Earth continues to increase and reaches 2°C hotter than the pre-industrial average, then similar heat waves will hit the region every five or six years.
Apparently, the study has been produced by the collective work of a dozen researchers from universities and meteorological agencies worldwide.
A similar recording was found by the Copernicus Climate Change Service of the European Union. As per the findings of the study, it is anticipated that 2023 will be the “world’s hottest ever recorded.”
Accordingly, the major contributors to the recorded heat waves in the Northern Hemisphere have been the United States, Europe and China. In this regard, Gareth Redmond-King, a climate expert at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit in the UK, commented that South America hitting such extreme temperatures in winter is striking.
It is to be noted that Gareth King has not contributed to the development of the study.
Last month, the United Nations (UN) stated that the countries are not putting all the possible efforts into tackling climate change and global warming. The UN has always extended special focus on climate change and has appealed to every nation to put in extra efforts to combat the crisis.

Meanwhile, the United Nations explains climate change as long-term shifts in weather as well as temperature patterns. It is believed that volcanic eruption was the major cause behind these shifts, but since the 1800s, human activities have become the main driver of climate change.