The heat wave sparked wildfires before temperatures in the UK hit 40 degrees
Geneva, Switzerland:
Heat waves like those choking Western Europe are becoming more common, and the trend is expected to last until at least 2060, the United Nations said Tuesday.
The current heat wave should serve as a wake-up call for countries that are pumping more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to the UN World Meteorological Organization.
“They are becoming more common and this negative trend will continue… at least until the 2060s, independent of our success in climate mitigation efforts,” WMO chief Petteri Taalas told a news conference in Geneva.
“We have started breaking records thanks to climate change… In the future, these kinds of heat waves will be normal and we will see even stronger extremes,” he added.
“Emissions are still increasing, so it is not certain that we would see the peak in the 2060s if we cannot reverse this trend in emissions growth, especially in the major Asian countries that are the biggest emitters.”
The WMO held a joint press conference with the World Health Organization, its sister organization to the UN, about the severe heat wave that hit Western Europe.
The heat wave sparked wildfires before moving north and temperatures in Britain soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time.
“We expect the peak today to be in France, the UK and possibly even Switzerland,” said Robert Stefanski, WMO’s head of applied climate services.
“And the question everyone is asking, looking ahead, when will this end? Unfortunately, looking at all the models… possibly not until the middle of next week.”
Europe’s heat record was broken last year when the thermometer reached 48.8C in Sicily in southern Italy.
“Our concern is that this is happening with shorter time periods between these records,” Stefanski said.
Greece’s record temperature stood since 1977 before breaking it in 2021 and similar temperatures were reached this year, he said.
Maria Neira, WHO’s director of environment, climate change and health, recalled how the 2003 European heat wave cost more than 70,000 lives.
“This heat will compromise our body’s ability and ability to regulate our internal temperature. And this can result in a cascade of diseases, starting of course with heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hyperthermia.”
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