The heat wave that hit the usually cool and rainy American Pacific Northwest was a shock to many — Oregon and Washington were covered by a blanket of heat in the triple digits.

After the temperatures soared, a group of scientists quickly came together to answer a crucial question: How much is climate change to blame?

Guest: Henry Fountain, a climate change reporter for The New York Times; and Sergio Olmos, a freelancer for The Times. 

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Background reading: 

• An analysis of the recent record-breaking heat found that it would have been virtually impossible without the influence of human-caused climate change.
• The extreme temperatures in Oregon, Washington State and Canada were exacerbated by an intense drought. Here is what to know about these heat waves.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

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