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Europe is bracing for the second heat storm in a week with possible record breaking temperatures above 48.8 degrees celcius. The highest ever daily temperatures globally were recorded earlier this month.
Leading climate scientist Dr Kevin Trenberth says temperatures don't increase steadily upwards, but rise like a staircase with the biggest jumps near the end of an El Niño event.
Dr Trenberth is a Distinguished Scholar at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, and an affiliate faculty at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. He speaks to Jesse.
Photo: AFP