While July 2021 was marked by devastating floods across Europe, this summer the continent is enduring a record-breaking heatwave. Many European regions have reached all-time high temperatures, resulting in the spread of wildfires. This includes the UK, where temperatures reached 40.2°C for the first time in history. To make sense of it all, we spoke to Len Shaffrey‬, professor of climate science at the University of Reading, who talked us through the heatwave's timeline and explained why Europe has been warming faster than most of the world.