NextFin news, Vancouver, Canada — This Wednesday, September 10, 2025, a peer-reviewed study led by climate scientists at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, found that emissions from the world's largest fossil fuel and cement producers have substantially intensified heat waves globally, including the 2021 heat dome in British Columbia.
The research analyzed 213 major heat waves occurring between 2000 and 2023, linking their increased intensity and probability to planet-warming emissions from 180 companies. The study concluded that about one-quarter of these heat waves would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.
Specifically, the 2021 B.C. heat dome was estimated to be 2.3 degrees Celsius hotter due to climate change. Emissions from Canadian fossil fuel companies such as Cenovus Energy, Suncor Energy, and Canadian Natural Resources contributed to this increased intensity, with their combined emissions accounting for approximately 0.0073 degrees Celsius of the heat wave's severity.
The study attributed emissions not only from direct production but also from the entire value chain, including the use of fossil fuel products by consumers. This comprehensive attribution approach has been criticized by industry groups who argue they should not be held responsible for end-use emissions.
Andrew Gage, a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law in British Columbia, welcomed the study as a tool to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate change impacts. He noted that the findings could support legal actions seeking compensation for costs related to climate adaptation, such as wildfire fighting and infrastructure protection.
The 2021 heat dome in B.C. caused over 600 heat-related deaths and strained emergency health services. Registered nurse Kaitlin Bloemberg from Vancouver highlighted the human toll behind the data, emphasizing the need for industries responsible for emissions to bear responsibility for the resulting harms.
The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, is among the first to link specific extreme weather events to emissions from individual fossil fuel companies. It advances the emerging field of climate attribution science, which quantifies the influence of human activities on extreme weather.
Researchers noted that the influence of climate change on heat waves has increased over time, making such events 20 times more likely in the early 2000s and 200 times more likely in the 2010s compared to pre-industrial times.
Canadian fossil fuel producers, while not the largest emitters globally, have contributed significantly to increasing the probability of extreme heat events. Eight Canadian companies were identified among the 180 studied, including ARC Resources, Obsidian Energy, Ovintiv, Tourmaline Oil, and Teck Resources.
The study's authors emphasized the relevance of their findings for climate policy, litigation, and corporate accountability efforts worldwide.
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