A new report warns that people are increasingly at risk on a continent that is warming twice as fast as the global average.
Climate watchdogs have warned that Europe is experiencing an increasing number of cases of heatwaves that are too hot for the human body to cope with.
The European Union's Copernicus Climate Monitoring Service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced on Monday that the continent would experience a record number of “extreme heat stress” in 2023.
In their latest report, Copernicus and the WMO pointed to last year's extreme conditions, such as the July heatwave that left 41 percent of southern Europe in strong, very strong, or extreme heat stress. It is the largest region on record to experience such a situation in Europe. .
The continent also suffered from devastating floods, severe droughts, severe storms, and some of the largest forest fires in history.
Copernicus climate scientist Rebecca Emerton said: “The number of days of heat stress is on the rise across Europe, and 2023 will be no exception, with Europe experiencing a record number of days of extreme heat stress.” Stated.
In their latest study, Copernicus and the WMO used the Universal Thermoclimatic Index, which measures the impact of the environment on the human body.
In addition to high temperatures, humidity, wind speed, sunlight, and heat emitted by the surroundings are also taken into account.
The index has 10 different categories of heat and cold stress, measured in degrees Celsius and represents the “feel-like temperature.”
Parts of Spain, France, Italy and Greece will experience extreme heat stress, defined as “feel-like” temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to 10 days in 2023, at which point immediate action will be required. It is necessary to wake up. To avoid symptoms such as heat stroke.
Extreme heat poses particular risks to people who work outdoors, the elderly, and people with health conditions such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
Some regions of Italy recorded 7% more deaths than normal in July last year. A 44-year-old man who was working on painting road markings in the northern town of Lodi also died after collapsing on the job.
“When you look at extreme heatwaves like the one in 2023, you see excess mortality occurring,” said WMO climatologist Alvaro Silva.
“This increase in mortality…is having an impact.” [the] The majority of European regions. This is a big concern. ”
According to the report, the number of deaths from heatstroke in Europe has increased by about 30% over the past 20 years.
For the world as a whole, last month was the warmest March on record, marking the 10th consecutive warmest month on record, as temperatures continued to rise, largely due to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.
Surface temperatures in the world's oceans, which absorb 90 percent of the excess heat generated by emissions, also hit a new high, according to Europe's climate watchdog.
In a new report, scientists warned that Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average and that heatwaves are likely to be longer and more intense in the future.
“Current heatwave strategies will soon become insufficient to cope with the expected heat-related health burden,” the report said, adding that Europe's population is aging and becoming more urbanized. He pointed out that it was.