What are science behind recent record-breaking heatwaves?

The Earth is getting hotter because it’s trapping more heat from the Sun, just like a blanket that gets thicker over time.

Imagine you’re wearing a heavy blanket on a cold night, the more layers you add, the warmer you get. The same thing is happening with our planet. A special kind of gas in the air called carbon dioxide acts like a blanket, trapping heat that would otherwise escape into space. We’ve been adding more and more of this gas by burning things like coal, oil, and gas, it’s like we're constantly adding layers to the blanket.

Sometimes, when the Earth is already warm, the weather can act like a big fan that pushes the heat even higher. This makes really hot days feel even hotter. It's like when you’re already wearing your thickest blanket and then someone turns up the heater, it’s super-duper warm!

That’s why we are seeing more and more record-breaking heatwaves, because our Earth is getting warmer, and sometimes, the weather gives us a little extra push.