The UN climate chief said Wednesday that a record-breaking early heatwave scorching a swathe of western Europe was "a brutal reminder of the spiralling impacts of the climate crisis".
The UK and France have reported their hottest ever May days this week as a "heat dome" brought sizzling temperatures more typical of midsummer to western Europe.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell said the "main culprit" was humanity's burning of coal, oil and gas -- the primary driver of climate change.
"The science is clear that human-induced climate change is making these heatwaves more frequent and extreme," Stiell said in a statement.
He also noted extreme conditions gripping India, where troops are battling forest fires and local authorities have reported deaths from heatstroke.
