The globe is warming up, with summers getting hotter every year. According to the World Meteorological Organization, climate change is driving these rising temperatures in various parts of the world, with serious consequences. Wildfires destroy homes and take lives, extreme heat threatens the food supply, and the elderly are especially at risk. And in Europe and Central Asia, half of all children face frequent heat waves—twice the global average of one in four children.
To find out more about the biggest heat waves ever, read up on the hottest days in history in this gallery.