Extreme weather: The Independent’s free virtual event on the climate crisis

In the wake of a record-breaking worldwide heatwave, The Independent gathers experts to discuss how the climate crisis is supercharging extreme weather events

A wildfire burns on 1 July, 2021, outside the British Columbia town of Lytton, which has been gutted by flames. (REUTERS)

In the last month, hundreds have died in scorching temperatures striking regions from the US and Canada to Iraq and the rest of the Middle East.

The link between worsening extreme heat and the climate crisis is undeniable. A rapid analysis released on Wednesday found that human-induced warming made North America’s record-smashing heatwave at least 150 times more likely.

Similar studies have also detected the fingerprint of the climate crisis on a host of extreme weather events, ranging from heavy rain and floods to wildfires and drought.

As the impact of the climate crisis on extreme weather escalates, the need to better prepare for disasters is greater than ever before. However, experts have warned that many countries, including the UK, currently aren’t doing enough to prepare for wilder extreme weather events.

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There are fears too that worsening extreme weather could exacerbate existing inequalities around the world. Developing world countries stand to lose the most from worsening extreme weather events despite contributing the least to their underlying driver, which is rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions.

To discuss the role of the climate crisis in worsening extreme weather events and the issues this raises, The Independent has assembled a panel of experts from across the world.

The discussion will be led by Daisy Dunne and Louise Boyle, The Independent’s climate correspondents based in London and New York, respectively.

Panelists include:

• Dr Friederike Otto, associate director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford and author of Angry Weather
• Oladosu Adenike, a climate activist based in Nigeria
• Dr Samantha Montano, a disaster researcher and assistant professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy

The event will be held on Zoom from 6.30-7.30pm BST (1.30-2.30pm EST) on 28 July –sign up for free here.