Heatwaves and extreme weather have gripped most parts of the world including Europe, Asia and the United States intensified yesterday, with the World Meteorological Organization warning of an increased risk of deaths linked to excessively high temperatures.

Heatwaves and extreme weather have gripped most parts of the world including Europe, Asia and the United States intensified yesterday, with the World Meteorological Organization warning of an increased risk of deaths linked to excessively high temperatures. The U.S. special envoy for climate change, John Kerry, said that the temperatures afflicting so much of the world all at once, were a withering reminder that climate change is a global crisis, driven by human-made forces:  the emissions of heat-trapping gases, mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The World Meteorological Organization said the heat wave in the northern hemisphere was set to intensify.
 
Americans were facing a medley of extreme weather, from blazing heat from Texas to Southern California to smoke-choked air wafting into the Midwest from Canada's wildfires. The southwestern city of Phoenix, Arizona, yesterday recorded its 19th consecutive day in which the daily high exceeded 43 Celsius, breaking its all-time record of 18 days. The European Unions's emergency response coordination center issued red alerts for high temperatures for most of Italy, northeastern Spain, Croatia, Serbia, southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

In Italy, the health ministry issued red weather alerts for 20 of the country's 27 main cities, with the number expected to rise to 23 today.