Last week, the world saw records broken on three consecutive days as the global average temperatures reached the highest levels ever recorded. Thursday July 6 finally reached 17.23 degrees celsius, becoming the hottest day on earth. Concurrently, on July 4, the World Meteorological Organisation declared El Niño had begun, forecasting hot and dry conditions, and increasing the risk of heatwaves, droughts and bushfires in Australia.

James Murray speaks with climate science researcher and PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, Ruby Lieber to understand the impacts of El Niño and how it interact with climate events.