With rising temperatures scorching places from Europe to Africa, the Arctic, parts of Scandinavia and Asia, it's being called the global heatwave.

The world is baking and scientists have warned of a domino effect if global temperatures rise more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, leading to hothouse conditions and higher sea levels. A report, Trajectories of the Earth System in the Anthropocene, published recently in the National Academy of Sciences, has said hothouse temperatures could stabilise 4°C to 5°C higher than pre-industrial levels, reports CNN. The heatwave is also part of a larger heatwave, caused in part by the jet stream (scientists say global warming has altered the strength and path of the winds) being weaker than usual, allowing hot high-pressure air to linger in the same place. Experts warn that such heatwaves will now be the norm.