Hotter Hot Days, And More Of Them, 'Virtually Certain'

NPR | By Mark Memmott

Published November 18, 2011 at 11:37 AM EST

Prepare to see this more often, even in usually cooler climes, the experts say.

"It is virtually certain that on a global scale hot days [will] become even hotter and occur more often" in coming decades, according to a report released today from a group of more than 100 scientists convened by the United Nations.

One of the group's co-chairs, Qin Dahe of China, says in a statement released with the report that "there is high confidence that both maximum and minimum daily temperatures have increased on a global scale due to the increase of greenhouse gases." And the report says "it is likely that anthropogenic influences [human activity that adds to greenhouse gases] have led to warming of extreme daily minimum and maximum temperatures on the global scale."

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, as The Guardian says, also warns that "heavier rainfall, fiercer storms and intensifying droughts are likely to strike the world in the coming decades."

NPR's Richard Harris, reporting for our Newscast desk, notes that the report "says what we've been hearing for many years now — the planet is heating up and as a result there will be more record-breaking heat spells ... [and] more extreme rainfall events."

Richard is scheduled to have more on the report later today on All Things Considered. Click here to find an NPR station that broadcasts or streams the show.

Chris Field, one of the scientists on the panel, says in a statement released with the report that the experts "hope this report can be a scientificfoundation for sound decisions on infrastructure, urban development, public health, and insurance,as well as for planning—from community organizations to international disaster risk management."