Why are extreme heat waves becoming more frequent and intense globally?

The Earth is getting warmer, and that’s why we have more and stronger heat waves now.

Imagine your bedroom as the Earth. When you leave the window open on a sunny day, warm air flows in, that's like heat from the Sun coming to our planet. Now, think of a blanket, it keeps you warm by trapping the heat. The Earth has a kind of blanket too: greenhouse gases, which trap some of the heat from the Sun.

Over time, we've been adding more and more blankets (like extra layers of carbon dioxide and other gases) because of things like cars, factories, and burning forests. This means less heat can escape back into space, it's like your bedroom gets hotter and hotter every day.

A heat wave is like a really long, super warm day that doesn’t want to end. When the Earth is already warmer than usual, these heat waves are more likely to happen, last longer, and feel more intense, just like how your bedroom feels even hotter when you add another blanket on top of the first one!