“Virtually Impossible Without Climate Change”, Scientists On The Heatwave That Has Gripped Europe
Without human-caused climate change, which has made this week’s soaring nighttime temperatures 100 times more likely than they would have been just 20 years ago, the record-breaking heatwave sizzling Western Europe would have been “virtually impossible,” according to scientists on Friday. “Over the region studied, this heatwave is the most severe ever recorded,” the World Weather Attribution group of climate scientists said in an analysis.
In the midst of the deadly heatwave that has killed dozens, crippled electricity supplies, and closed schools and cultural institutions, Britain achieved a record-high temperature for June on Thursday.
According to the WWA investigation, heatwaves in Europe have gotten worse in just a few decades due to global warming. According to WWA, a comparable heatwave in June 1976 would have been about 3.5 degrees Celsius colder than this one.
According to the study, 45% of the more than 800 European towns examined have registered or are expected to record their worst heat stress levels for late June. When the body is unable to cool itself through perspiration, heat stress results.
Greenhouses gases big culprits
Through years of research, scientists have verified that heatwaves are becoming more frequent and severe due to human-caused global warming. The World Meteorological Organization states that greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from burning coal, oil, and gas, have raised the planet’s average temperature to about 1.4 °C above pre-industrial times in the 19th century.
“We are not doing enough to slow the rate of global warming at the moment.” According to Clair Barnes, a research associate in extreme weather at Imperial College London who co-authored the WWA analysis, “we should expect to see record temperatures being exceeded more and more frequently as that rate of warming continues.”
Europe is the continent that is warming the quickest in the planet.
The WWA report cited a scientific study that claimed over 60,000 people died from heat-related causes during a series of heatwaves in the summer of 2022 and stated that the health effects of this heatwave are only now starting to become apparent.
Extreme nighttime temperatures during heatwaves increase health hazards because they make it more difficult for the body to recuperate from daytime stress. A “tropical night” is defined as a nighttime temperature that has been above 20 degrees Celsius for more than a week in various parts of France, with several nights having minimum temperatures close to 30 degrees.
According to WWA, the extreme heat in Europe was not caused by the El Niño weather trend, which has developed in the tropical Pacific and tends to raise global temperatures.
Also Read – “Just Use The AC”, Why Are AC’s Rare In Europe?