July 24, 2022

How Europe is navigating its extreme heatwave

topic:	Global Warming
located:	France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom
editor:	Abby Klinkenberg

Meteorologically notorious for its dreary weather and nearly constant rain, the UK has typically embraced summertime heatwaves as opportunities for suntans and beach days; but amidst this past week’s record-setting temperatures, Britons’ enthusiasm for heat has tilted into profound concern. On Tuesday, temperatures across the UK topped out at 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit), triggering the first ever ‘red’ heat warning. To put this in perspective, average July temperatures hover around 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit). Clearly, the situation is extreme – and it will likely only become more common.

While the British case may be the most unusual and extreme, the heatwave has wrought havoc as it worked its way across Europe this past week. In France alone, 100 heat records were broken. The sweltering temperatures recalled the deadly summer of 2003, during which approximately 70,000 people perished across the continent due to heat-related complications. While the continental death toll has not been officially declared, Spain and Portugal alone have recorded at least 1,900 heat-related deaths. Such extreme temperatures – like the 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature recorded in Seville on July 10 – are particularly detrimental to elderly and vulnerable populations. The lack of air conditioning, which has long been unnecessary until recently, contributes to the health risk. According to the International Energy Agency, only 5 percent of homes across Europe have air-conditioning systems in place. Despite their hefty energy burden, they may become increasingly critical as the climate dynamics continue to shift.

Essentially, Northern and Western Europe in particular are simply not built for extreme heat. Their old infrastructure – built decades, if not nearly a century ago – cannot withstand these record-setting temperatures. Buildings themselves have long been built to retain heat to insulate families during cold winters; the need to cool them down is only a recent demand. This past week, the UK suffered mightily as its rail infrastructure succumbed to the heat wave - as track temperatures hit nearly 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit), metal rail systems warped and dangerous fires broke out. Air transit was also compromised as the asphalt runways at London Luton Airport began to melt. According to Friederike Otto, climatologist and senior lecturer at Imperial College London, the UK continues to ‘[build] homes, schools, and hospitals that cannot be cooled’ – this past week suggests that urban planning and transport infrastructure must face new realities.

Paris, for instance, recently unveiled a project entitled ‘Paris at 50C’ (122F) to better understand and plan for a future fraught with these sizzling trends. Across France, museums and other air-conditioned spaces have been opened to the public free of charge while the opening hours of swimming pools have been extended; municipal authorities check in with those who are vulnerable and may be at risk, as well.

The heat has also inspired a slew of wildfires to break out across the continent, from Portugal to Greece; the European Forest Fire Information System indicated that 19 European countries were in ‘extreme danger.’ Across France alone, over 25 times more land has been burned than at the same point last year; of particular concern is an ongoing forest fire in the country’s southwest region of Gironde, which has forced over 37,000 people to evacuate. Urban environments have also yielded to the heat: London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it was the ‘busiest day for the fire service in London since the Second World War.’ On Tuesday, the London fire service received over 2,600 calls – seven times more than usual.

These record-setting heatwaves are becoming more and more common: only one of the 10 highest temperatures ever recorded in the UK occurred prior to 1990. According to meteorologist Matthew Cappucci, ‘right now is a roughly once in 100- to 300-year event. By the end of the century, thanks to human-induced climate change, it will be a once in every 10- to 15-year event.’ Notably, as the UK’s ruling Conservative Party reshuffles its leadership in the wake of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation, ‘climate change has barely figured in the debate among the candidates.’ If there is any hope to be had for the future, leaders across Europe and the world will have to take a leaf out of Paris’ book and imagine what their constituency will look like at 50 degrees Celsius.

Photo by Henrique Ferreira

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