LONDON: Climate demonstrators on Wednesday triggered a lengthy tailback on Britain’s busiest motorway, warning that a record-breaking heatwave was a dire reminder for urgent action.

Members of the group Just Stop Oil climbed gantries over the M25 encircling London, causing police to intervene and vehicles to back up for several miles (kilometres) in one direction. Surrey Police later said a 22-year-old woman who had climbed a gantry was arrested on suspicion of causing a danger to road users, causing a public nuisance and for being a pedestrian on the motorway. Three lanes that were shut as she was brought down were later reopened, the force added.

Temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in southern and eastern England for the first time on Tuesday, with a new record set at 40.3C.

The extreme heat caused huge transport disruption and sparked the same kind of wildfires seen in Europe in recent years. Government minister Kit Malthouse told parliament that 34 places saw temperatures in excess of the previous record of 38.7C in 2019.

US heatwave tightens its grip from coast to coast

Firefighters saw “their busiest day since World War II”, dealing with dozens of wildfires as 15 fire and rescue services declared major incidents, he said.

Heatwave in US

Some 100 million Americans from New York City to Las Vegas will be under heat warnings this week as

temperatures rise well above 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), the National Weather Service (NWS) said on Wednesday.

Scientists say these types of weather events will become more frequent with climate change. “Its crazy,” Ifer said as she swabbed nasal passages under a tiny blue tent with only a small air conditioner to keep her cool. “I lose a lot of energy. Its exhausting.” Manhattan temperatures are expected to reach 99 F on Wednesday in the nation’s most populous city. Temperatures are also expected to break daily records across Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas on Wednesday, the NWS said.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2022