Scientists say that Europe's heatwave would be 'virtually unavoidable' without climate changes
Scientists said that the record-breaking heatwave in Western Europe would have been "virtually unachievable" without the human-caused climate?change. This has made temperatures of up to 100 degrees Celsius at night this week more probable than they were just 20 years ago.
In an analysis, the World Weather Attribution Group of climate scientists stated that this heatwave was the worst ever recorded in the area studied. Britain set a new record for the month of June, on Thursday. The heatwave has caused dozens to die, shut down schools, cultural landmarks and disrupted electricity supplies.
WWA's analysis shows that global warming has exacerbated Europe's heatwaves over the past few decades. WWA reported that a similar heatwave from June 1976 was 3.5 degrees Celsius cooler.
The research showed that 45% of the 800 cities in Europe analysed had recorded or were forecast to record their highest heat stress levels by late June. Heat stress is when the body can't cool itself through sweating.
GREENHOUSE GASOME EMISSIONS DRIVE - WARMING
In years of research, scientists have proven that global warming caused by humans is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves. According to the World Meteorological Organization, greenhouse gas emissions from coal, oil, and gas have increased average temperatures on the planet by 1.4 C over pre-industrial times.
We are not doing enough at this time to slow down the rate of global heating. As the rate of global warming continues, we can expect record temperatures to be broken more often, said Clair Barnes. Barnes is a research assistant in extreme weather at Imperial College London and co-authored WWA's analysis.
Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world. WWA's?analysis stated that the?health effects of this heatwave were just beginning to appear, and pointed out a scientific report which showed more than 60,000 deaths from heat-related cause in summer 2022.
Extreme night temperatures in heatwaves can exacerbate health risks, as they interfere with the body's ability recover from stress. Overnight temperatures in parts of France have been?above?20 C for over a week - a temperature threshold referred to as "tropical nights" - with some nights recording temperatures of almost 30 C.
WWA stated that the El Nino weather system, which is a tropical Pacific pattern and increases global temperatures, was not responsible for Europe's extreme heat. (Reporting and editing by Matthew Lewis in Brussels, Kate Abnett)
(source: Reuters)
