🌍 Study in Nature: Major fossil fuel companies directly contributed to extreme heatwaves

A new study published in the prestigious journal Nature has established a direct link between the emissions of major fossil fuel and cement producers and the increase in frequency and intensity of heatwaves recorded over the past two decades.

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Researchers analyzed 213 heatwaves that occurred between 2000 and 2023, showing that climate change made them far more likely: about 20 times more frequent in the decade 2000–2009 and as much as 200 times more frequent in 2010–2019 compared to the pre-industrial era. According to the study, a quarter of these extreme events would have been virtually impossible without global warming.

The novelty of this research lies in the direct attribution of responsibility: the authors quantified the contribution of the so-called carbon majors, i.e., 180 major producers of fossil fuels and cement. Their emissions account for roughly half of the increase in heatwave intensity since 1850. Depending on the company, the estimated impact was enough to enable 16 to 53 heatwaves that would never have occurred in a pre-industrial climate.

The researchers emphasize that this work helps fill a crucial “evidentiary gap” in establishing the historical accountability of industrial actors in worsening climate crises, also opening the door to potential legal and political implications.