Heatwaves have ravaged much of the northern hemisphere, causing wildfires, destruction and death. Some are blaming heat stress for an increase in chronic kidney disease in Central America. Graihagh Jackson investigates the causes and health effects of heatwaves

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Heatwaves have hit many parts of the northern hemisphere this summer, ravaging landscapes and causing death and destruction in their wake. Wildfires have broken out in the Arctic Circle, as well as in California, Sweden and Greece. People are dying from the heat in Japan, where temperatures have risen to over 40C (104F).

Are these heatwaves a blip or can we expect extreme weather events like these to become more frequent over the coming decades? And if so, how might they affect our health?

Graihagh Jackson discusses the causes of this summer’s high temperatures with Jennifer Francis, a research professor in marine and coastal sciences at Rutgers University. She believes that a warmer Arctic may be partly to blame and that there could be an upward trend in how often we experience heatwaves in future. Central America may already be feeling the health implications of extreme weather events. Dr Richard Johnson, from the University of Colorado, has been studying the effects of repeated heat stress and dehydration on farmers and believes heat stress may be causing chronic kidney disease, a condition which has killed thousands of people in Central America.