Extreme heat has dominated the headlines in recent weeks, from the current "heat dome" boiling much of Europe to wildfires raging in Greece, Spain, Canada and Hawaii and soaring temperatures in the middle of the South American winter. Heat waves are starting earlier, lasting longer and becoming more intense, John Nairn, the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chief extreme heat advisor, told AFP in an interview. "It's the most rapidly emerging consequence of global warming that we're seeing in weather systems," he said, stressing that it's consistent with scientific predictions. "People are too relaxed about signs," he lamented. “Science said this is coming to you. And it doesn't end there." "It will only become more intense and more frequent." (Nina Larson)