Why are extreme heatwaves becoming more frequent globally?

The Earth is getting warmer, and that makes extreme heatwaves happen more often.

Imagine your house has a heater, and it’s been running nonstop for years, eventually, the inside gets really hot, right? That's like what's happening to our planet. The Sun is shining down on us, and we're trapping some of that warmth because of things like carbon dioxide, which acts like a blanket around the Earth. This makes the average temperature go up over time.

Think about how you feel when it's a really hot day outside, your skin gets warm, you might even sweat. Now imagine that feeling all year round, and it gets even hotter sometimes. That’s what extreme heatwaves are like, they're like the Earth having a super hot summer day, but instead of just one day, they happen more often and get stronger each time.

When we burn things like coal or gas to make energy, we let out carbon dioxide. It's like adding extra blankets around the Earth, the more blankets, the warmer it gets inside. So now, when a heatwave comes, it starts from a hotter base, making it feel even more extreme.

It's not magic, it’s just our planet reacting to what we're doing!