If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and have been enquire why on Earth it ’s been so blistering recently , we have some bad news for you . While warmer temperatures might be receive by many , they ’re actually a worrying signal that our planet is heating up , and we are to blame .

Denver in Colorado reached a criminal record high of 40.5 ° C ( 104.9 ° fluorine ) last week , while Montreal in Canada hit its hot ever temperature of 36.6 ° C ( 97.9 ° F ) . Unfortunately , it ’s been cover as many as19 peopleacross the US and Canada have die as a termination of the intense heat so far . This hot weather is await to keep for another week before spread further westward .

Across the pond , the UK and Ireland have experienced a surprising transmutation from the usual grey , drizzly “ summertime ” they so often live . In fact , Britain is experiencing its longest go of red-hot weather in 42 years , and it ’s not going anywhere for the next few weeks .

“ The long - range trend is for above - average temperature staying until the end of July , ” meteorologist Emma Salter toldThe Times .

Meanwhile , Glasgow in Scotland has hit a novel disc richly , accomplish temporary of 31.9 ° C ( 89.4 ° F ) . It ’s been so hot that the “ weatherproof ” material on top of the city ’s Science Centre has literally melt . The townspeople of Motherwell exact Scotland ’s high ever recorded temperature of 33.2 ° C ( 91.8 ° F ) .

Over in Northern Ireland , Belfast has set a new phonograph recording   of 29.5 ° C ( 85.1 ° F ) . Very worryingly , the heat combine with colder temperature earlier in the year could regard British and Irish Irish potato , take to a curt ( if you ’re in America , chip)shortage .

Crisps are chips and chips are fries .

Heading east , Ahvaz in Iran reached record highs of 54 ° C ( 129.2 ° F ) , Yerevan in Armenia hit 42 ° C ( 107.6 ° F ) , and the people of Pakistan experienced a scorching 50.2 ° ascorbic acid ( 122.4 ° F ) . Meanwhile , Quriyat in Oman experienced the hottest sustained temperature in a 24 - hour period the world has ever seen , with a minimum of 42.6 ° C ( 108.7 ° fluorine ) .

So why is this go on ? And why is it so widespread ?

Heatwaves can often be go past off as freak events when they are isolated to one specific place . But the current heatwave is happen across much of the earth ’s Northern Hemisphere . This signify it ’s not only an anomaly , but a sign of far-flung change . Despite whatclimate deniersandcertain influential politiciansmight say , the world is literally heating updue to human activity , and we are currently watching it go on .

“ We make out that these kind of events are very ordered with what we expect to be happening with climate change , ” Jennifer Marlon of Yale University toldThe Times .

If we do n’t manage to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and confine heating to the 1.5 ° C ( 2.7 ° F ) set out by theParis Climate Accord , swelter summer temperature around the earth could become the mankind ’s newfangled normal . While this might go rather nice to those living in usually chilly climes , the unpleasant side effects of global warming mean that it wo n’t be .

Rising ocean levels willsubmerge idyllic islandslike the Maldives andflood coastal citieslike San Francisco . Unique and iconic animals around the globecould go out . And by the ending of the hundred , there could be2 billion climate refugeesacross the planet .

fortunately , we still have the luck to reduce clime change ’s impacts , and thevast bulk of nationsare committed to doing so .

If you ’re somewhere where a heatwave is occur , ensure tostay hydrate , do n’t exercise yourself in the hotness , and use lot of sunblock . Remember tokeep your pet cool too .