Even if you don’t live in the Old Continent, you must have by now heard of the worrisome heatwaves that are experienced all over Europe. Temperatures rising above 40 degrees Celsius in places where air conditioning was not needed until now, speak of a broader trend that has dangerous implications.
We will discuss the countries that were hit the hardest (and most unexpected) and try to explain why this is happening in the first place.
Europe and the Scorching Heat
Spain, Portugal, and Italy are where you are expected to encounter hot temperatures in the summer. After all, they have the traditional siesta (a nap in the early afternoon). You wouldn’t, however, expect an Englishman having to deal with that unless he’s on a holiday.
Despite that, some parts of England reached a staggering 40 degrees Celsius. For instance, on 19 July 2022, the village of Coningsby reached the disturbing 40.3 degrees Celsius – the hottest temperature ever recorded in the history of the United Kingdom; the first time the country has had temperatures exceeding 40 degrees.
A day later, the German provinces Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg recorded the same temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius. The European heatwaves have already claimed thousands of lives, with the number being 2,000 in Spain and Portugal alone.
The extreme heat also causes wildfires, which devastate communities and cause loss of crops, livestock, and unfortunately human life. Previously, summer wildfires could be found in southern countries like Greece, but this year they have gone as far as Scandinavia and the United Kingdom where they destroyed 41 homes.
Why Is It Getting Hotter
Heatwaves have become more and more common in the past decades, getting progressively worse each year. After two months of unprecedented heat, (almost) everyone is pointing the finger at one thing – climate change. Climate experts claim that carbon dioxide, along with other greenhouse gases, is to blame for the rising temperatures we see today.
You’ve probably heard that before, but let us explain exactly what we mean by that. Greenhouse gases are not inherently bad; on the contrary, they are the reason why our planet is inhabitable. You see, greenhouse gases, the main one of which is carbon dioxide, retain heat, thus they warm up the atmosphere.
Without them, the average temperature on Earth would have been below freezing. However, once humanity started burning fossil fuels, the balance was severely obstructed. Nowadays, these gases make up only 0.04% of the atmosphere, but knowing how much they affect the climate, the number has to be even lower than that.
The trend has been for the planet to get 1.1 degrees Celsius hotter every year. This trend started with the Industrial Revolution, and it’s anything but normal. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by more than 48% between 1750 and 2020.
In 2021, humanity “dumped” more than 36 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and the gas will linger in the atmosphere for a long time, which is why many officials warn that we must act quickly.
What Can We Do
Climate change activists and politicians alike call for a pan-European coalition to fight against climate change and ensure that the temperatures we see today don’t become the trend for the next century.
Many point to the Paris Agreement as one of the solutions. However, they say that merely ratifying it is not enough; every country must do its part in order for there to be a meaningful effect.
The main culprit, carbon dioxide, has to be minimised with fewer emissions entering the atmosphere. Various European countries have already imposed a so-called carbon tax on certain goods and services like air travel to curb the problem and use the money to support long-lasting solutions.
While world governments need to act united and fight climate change together, the change starts with us. We can each try to minimise our own carbon footprint by relying less on fossil fuels, which can be achieved by forgoing unnecessary and/or short trips via planes, switching to electric vehicles, bikes, or public transportation, and even eating less meat.
Planting trees is another great and helpful initiative. Scientists claim that by planting trees on city streets, temperatures are said to decrease by 1 degree Celsius. Of course, local authorities have to approve of that first.
In the meantime, before any of these goals are met, stay safe. Avoid going out during the hot hours of the day, drink more water than you usually do, wear thin and natural fabrics, avoid strenuous physical activity and keep your blinders or curtains shut to keep your house or apartment cooler.
If you have any underlying health issues that could be exuberated by the scorching heat, then contact your employer to ask if you can work remotely until temperatures return to near-normal levels. Remember, your health is the most important thing, and you should always treat it as such.