Europe’s summer heatwave has exposed tens of millions of people to temperatures above 35°C, broken records and claimed hundreds of lives.

Early climate attribution studies suggest Europe’s event would have been “virtually impossible” just 50 years ago without human-caused climate change.

Meanwhile in South Asia, where temperatures have been edging past 45C, schools have been forced to close. As the planet continues to warm, severe heatwaves like this are expected to grow more frequent – and even more intense.

New Zealand, with its mild, maritime climate, might seem insulated from such extremes. But it, too, is expected to experience significantly warmer temperatures in future.

By the end of the century, in centres such as Auckland and Christchurch, peak summer temperatures in the hottest years could climb several degrees higher than they reach today.

Our new research explores what that could mean for human health – and how cooling in summer, rather than heating in winter, may place greater pressure on Aotearoa’s electricity system.

Modelling homes in a hotter future

New Zealand’s houses have traditionally been designed to keep people warm in winter. As temperatures rise, managing overheating will increasingly require either expensive........

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