The temperatures in Europe are so intense that roadways are melting and railroad tracks are bending. The heat wave set records in the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, as well as other European nations, demonstrating that a large portion of Europe isn’t designed to withstand intense heat or rapidly changing climatic conditions.
Although significant heat waves became a summer feature due to global warming, the excessive temperatures currently sweeping throughout Europe look especially disastrous.
Temperatures in the UK breaking a all-time record of 40.3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. The weather agency issued the very first “red alert” for extraordinarily high temperatures, the most severe kind. In contrast, over 100 temperature records have been broken in France over the past week.
“Even as a climate scientist who studies this stuff, this is scary,” said Hannah Cloke, a professor at the University of Reading who studies natural hazards. “We have had heat waves in the UK before,” she added, but the severity of the forecasted heat “is enough to kill people and animals, damage property, and hobble the economy.”
Extreme temperatures can dry out vegetation, making it flammable. Therefore, it is not surprising that wildfires have recently broken out in France, Spain, and the UK. Scores of thousands of acres were burnt, causing major congestion in transportation and endangering homes and structures. European travelers must make difficult decisions. They have no choice but to either endure the heat and discomfort or stay home.
The greatest strategy to protect our roads, trains, and structures against heat waves, which is a sign of the bigger issue of climate change, is to address the source by reducing carbon emissions. Disasters brought on by climate change could get much worse before they can get better.
Europe is only the start, heat waves might become the new reality. Countries all over the world must soon decide whether they want to take serious emissions reductions or accept a future of excessive heat and the suffering that goes along with it.
Links: Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/19/climate/europe-heat-wave-science.html?searchResultPosition=1
https://www.dw.com/en/who-says-heat-related-deaths-top-1700-in-spain-portugal/a-62569446
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-extreme-heat-climate-change/
Although significant heat waves became a summer feature due to global warming, the excessive temperatures currently sweeping throughout Europe look especially disastrous.
Temperatures in the UK breaking a all-time record of 40.3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. The weather agency issued the very first “red alert” for extraordinarily high temperatures, the most severe kind. In contrast, over 100 temperature records have been broken in France over the past week.
“Even as a climate scientist who studies this stuff, this is scary,” said Hannah Cloke, a professor at the University of Reading who studies natural hazards. “We have had heat waves in the UK before,” she added, but the severity of the forecasted heat “is enough to kill people and animals, damage property, and hobble the economy.”
Extreme temperatures can dry out vegetation, making it flammable. Therefore, it is not surprising that wildfires have recently broken out in France, Spain, and the UK. Scores of thousands of acres were burnt, causing major congestion in transportation and endangering homes and structures. European travelers must make difficult decisions. They have no choice but to either endure the heat and discomfort or stay home.
The greatest strategy to protect our roads, trains, and structures against heat waves, which is a sign of the bigger issue of climate change, is to address the source by reducing carbon emissions. Disasters brought on by climate change could get much worse before they can get better.
Europe is only the start, heat waves might become the new reality. Countries all over the world must soon decide whether they want to take serious emissions reductions or accept a future of excessive heat and the suffering that goes along with it.
Links: Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/19/climate/europe-heat-wave-science.html?searchResultPosition=1
https://www.dw.com/en/who-says-heat-related-deaths-top-1700-in-spain-portugal/a-62569446
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-extreme-heat-climate-change/
