‘The obsession with endless growth can only end in tears’: your questions on extreme weather this summer answered

From Europe’s deadly heat to floods in Asia, it’s been a terrifying summer. Environment writers Jonathan Watts and Ajit Niranjan answered Reddit users’ questions about their work – and their sources of hope Extreme weather supercharged by the climate crisis is fuelling an explosive wildfire season in Europe and extreme rainfall across Asia this summer. Global heating made hot, dry and windy weather stoking wildfires at least 20 times more likely in Spain and twice as likely in France. EU officials have said wildfires could still be burning until early November in what threatens to be a record-breaking year for the area of land burned. Meanwhile, unprecedented rains continue across Asia. As South Korea swings between heatwave and downpour, in Japan and Vietnam torrential rain has led to landslides. Extreme rainfall across the world is more common and more intense because of human-caused climate breakdown. The Guardian’s Europe environment correspondent Ajit Niranjan has been covering the extreme heat and wildfires across Europe this summer, while global environment writer Jonathan Watts reported on the floods in Asia. Ajit and Jonathan answered questions about their report