High temperatures affect 350 million people in Europe

The intense heat wave continued in Europe yesterday, as temperatures reached unprecedented levels, leaving tens of thousands without electricity and resulting in an increase in sales of air conditioners, on a continent that is not equipped to deal with this scorching heat.

Temperature levels exceeding 35 degrees affected at least 94 million people in Europe, most of them in France and Spain, according to Agence France-Presse calculations.

Agence France-Presse estimates, based on an analysis of German meteorological forecasts and population estimates for 2025 issued by the Joint Research Center, indicate that maximum temperature levels will exceed 30 degrees Celsius for more than 350 million people, or more than two-thirds of the continent’s population.

According to a scientific study published this week, the current heat wave is “largely exacerbated by human-induced climate change,” without which current temperature levels would be two to four degrees lower.

Experts attribute these harsh weather conditions to atmospheric and air circulation patterns that keep hot air confined in place for days, and these factors are exacerbated by climate warming.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned yesterday that the heat wave was endangering the health of Europeans, and urged the continent’s leaders to invest in making their health services more resilient to climate change.