Climate scientists say this past July was likely the hottest month on record and possibly the warmest in 120,000 years.

It comes as heat waves sizzle across large swathes of Europe, North America and Asia.

In the meantime, heavy rains have led to deadly floodings across the world. The Chinese capital Beijing recorded its heaviest rainfall over the past few days since records began 140 years ago.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the world has entered the "era of global boiling".

What has been driving such extreme weather events worldwide? Is climate change to blame?

Host Zhao Ying is joined by Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University, and a lead author at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Michael Mehling, Deputy Director of the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research; and Wu Changhua, CEO of Beijing Future Innovation Center and Executive Director of Professional Association for China's Environment.