The heat is devastating Europe… recording record temperatures and warning of serious health risks

Continue The unprecedented heat wave that hits BritainTuesday is the highest temperature ever recorded in the month of June in its history.

This is the second heat wave to hit Western Europe in less than a month, at a time when scientists agree that climate change resulting from human activities is exacerbating the severity of extreme weather phenomena.

In Madrid, Valentin Fernandez, a 54-year-old employee of a furniture moving company, said "As soon as the sun’s rays hit us, we wish to die. In the truck, it’s (…) terrible, really terrible"

He continued "For us, these days are hard. We have no choice. This is our job. If you don’t work, you won’t eat. That’s how things are"

Hot air from North Africa

Currently, a mass of very cold air is concentrated in the upper atmosphere off the coast of Portugal. "It acts as a heat pump" It is driven by hot air coming from North Africa, while a relatively stable high air aggravates the situation, according to what French meteorologist Sebastien Lea explained to Agence France-Presse.

In this context, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned Tuesday in Geneva that the most vulnerable groups may be at risk of death if measures are not taken. "appropriate measures"

In London, which is hosting about a thousand climate-related events this week and which will be subject to the highest level of heat warning as of Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged the world to take action. "More urgently" To reduce climate warming.

Guterres said in a speech to the climate conference in London "We can no longer rely on a fossil fuel-based system that fuels both the climate crisis and the energy crisis"

Nuclear power plant closure

In France, where more than 90 percent of the population faces extremely intense heat, the average day and night temperatures at 30 reference stations on Tuesday reached 29.8 degrees Celsius, according to the French Meteorological Service. "Meteo-France". That is higher than the previous records recorded on July 25, 2019 and August 5, 2003 (29.4 degrees Celsius), since measurements began in 1947.

A maximum temperature of 44.3 degrees Celsius was recorded in the city of Besso, in the Landes region, southwest of the country.

It warned "Meteo-France" From that "This heat wave will be quite similar in intensity to the one we saw in August 2003, and is expected to exceed it in terms of maximum temperature. As for how long it will last, it is not yet clear"
This is accompanied by disruptions in the business and education sectors, as well as in transportation.

The company operating the Eiffel Tower announced the closure of the facility on Tuesday, starting at 16:00 (14:00 GMT) instead of 00:45 (22:45 GMT), as well as the Louvre Museum, whose curators decided to close at 16:00, from Wednesday until Saturday, and a nuclear power station in France was closed.

Reducing the maximum speed of trains

In Italy, the Ministry of Health issued a red alert on Tuesday regarding a severe heat wave in 15 cities, including Rome and Milan, while this number is expected to rise to 16 cities on Wednesday.

Several regions imposed restrictions between 12:30 and 16:00 to protect people who work outdoors, especially on farms and construction workshops, as is the case in France, where it was decided to stop work at noon in several regions.

In Slovenia, the national railway company reduced the maximum speed of trains on several parts of the network between 12 and 7 pm due to the risk of damage to the tracks due to the heat.

As for Spain, it was almost entirely covered by heat warnings on Tuesday, with a warning of extreme risks in some areas of Andalusia (south), the Basque Country and Cantabria (north).

In Belgium, the administration of the Atomium, the famous landmark in Brussels and one of the most visited sites in the country, announced The country announced on Tuesday that it will reduce reception hours for visitors for three days, starting Wednesday, due to the intense heat wave.

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