Europe is being “baked” by extreme heat stress: 30% more heat deaths in two decades – Newsbomb – News

High temperatures “baked” Europe in more days of “extreme heat stress” than scientists have ever seen, the Guardian newspaper reports in an alarming report

Pollutants trap heat by blanketing the atmosphere, contributing to rising temperatures in Europe last year at the highest or second highest levels ever recordedaccording to the EU Copernicus service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Europeans suffer from unprecedented heat during the day and are at high levels of heat stress from extreme heat at night. The death rate from hot weather has increased by 30% in Europe in two decadesaccording to the two organizations’ joint State of the Climate report.

“The cost of climate action may seem high,” noted WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulio, “but the cost of inaction is much higher.” The report found that temperatures across Europe were above the average for 11 months of 2023including the warmest September on record.

Hot and dry weather fueled large fires which destroyed villages with their smoke suffocating cities in the far distance. The flames that firefighters battled were particularly intense in drought-stricken southern countries such as Portugal, Spain and Italy. Greece was hit by the biggest fire recorded in the EU, which burned 96,000 hectares of land, according to the report.

The heavy rains also led to deadly floods. Europe was about 7% wetter in 2023 than the three-decade average, the report found, and a third of its river network exceeded the “high” flood limit. One sixth reached “severe” levels.

“In 2023, Europe experienced the largest fire on record, one of the wettest years, severe sea heat and widespread catastrophic floodingsaid Carlo Bunotembo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

“Temperatures continue to rise, making our data even more vital in preparing for the effects of climate change,” he added. The role of global warming in increasingly heavy rains it is not always clear. Warmer air can hold more moisture, allowing for more extreme storms, but complex climate changes mean water isn’t always available for precipitation.

But for heatwaves, the connection is much stronger. The report did not provide figures for the number of heat deaths in 2023, but scientists have pegged the number in 2022 in 70,000 additional deaths.

The number of heat-related deaths in 2023 is likely to be higher, said Frederick Otto, a climatologist at Imperial College London who was not involved in the report. “For many of these deaths, the additional heat caused by fossil fuel emissions would be the difference between life and death.”

The report comes two weeks after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Switzerland’s weak climate policy violated the human rights of a group of elderly women who are more likely to die from heatstroke.