Study links fossil fuel giants to surge in heatwaves

Major fossil fuel companies and cement producers have played a direct role in driving the frequency and intensity of deadly heatwaves, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Analyzing 213 significant heatwaves between 2000 and 2023, researchers concluded that nearly one-quarter would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change.

The team traced these events to the greenhouse gas emissions of 180 fossil fuel and cement producers, known as the “carbon majors,” finding that every company contributed substantially to climate change.

Each firm was linked to at least 16 heatwaves, with giants such as ExxonMobil associated with making 51 heatwaves at least 10,000 times more likely than in a world without their emissions.

Compared to preindustrial times, global warming made heatwaves about 20 times more likely between 2000 and 2009, and roughly 200 times more likely from 2010 to 2019.

The emissions of the carbon majors are responsible for half of the increase in heatwave intensity since the mid-19th century, the study found.

This evidence of individual contributions to climate change could now find its way into courtrooms, potentially forcing companies to pay for damages.