On Wednesday, Pierre Masselot received a message from his daughter’s nursery, less than 50 miles from the weather station that this week broke the UK’s June temperature record, with parents being asked to pick up their children early as the school premises were becoming uncomfortably hot.
Similar scenes were repeated across Europe this week as the continent grapples with the most intense and widespread heatwave ever recorded, a suffocating force exacerbated by carbon pollution and made even more unbearable by a repeated failure to prepare for it. France recorded its hottest day and night on record, while the United Kingdom and Switzerland broke temperature records for a June day. For Masselot, an environmental epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and one of Europe’s leading researchers on assessing the hidden toll of heatwaves, the past few days have brought back memories of the horrific summer of 2003. He was a teenager in southern France at the time and experienced firsthand the effects of an extreme heatwave that scorched Europe.
That summer, about 70 people lost their lives, mostly elderly people, especially women and people living alone. Now, what was once considered the exception is becoming the norm. “Today the exceptions of the past have become the norm, and today’s exceptions will be the norm of tomorrow,” said Masselot, 37. “Climate scientists have been warning for a long time that we will have many more summers like 2003. Now that has become glaringly clear.”
SYSTEMS UNPREPARED FOR AN EXTREME CLIMATE
Despite repeated warnings, heatwaves continue to paralyse large parts of the continent. In England, several hospitals have declared a state of emergency due to cooling system failures and IT systems slowing down. Schools, workplaces and railways have faced disruptions, while forest fires have also been recorded.
In France, where about half of homes have poor heat protection, more than 55 people have drowned while trying to cool down, four young children have died inside hot cars, and two nuclear reactors have been shut down due to a lack of cooling water. After the 2003 disaster, many European countries set up warning systems and emergency measures, such as closing schools, restricting movement, and postponing non-emergency hospital services. Studies show that these measures have significantly reduced heat-related mortality, up to 75% fewer than if a similar wave were to occur today.
However, heat waves are becoming more frequent, longer and more intense, and it remains unclear whether adaptation measures are keeping pace with the increase in climate pollution.
A CRISIS THAT IS ACCELERATED
This year, warning systems were activated as early as May, when temperatures broke historical records in northwestern Europe. Two weeks later, the World Health Organization for Europe updated its heat action plan guidelines, 18 years after they were first published. According to the WHO, Europe has lost about 200 lives in the past four years due to heat.
“The tragedy is twofold: most of these deaths could have been prevented and, secondly, these are just the tip of the iceberg,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge. Scientists say Europe is warming faster than any other continent, due to climate change and its proximity to the rapidly melting Arctic. A study by World Weather Attribution estimated that the current heatwave would have been “virtually impossible” 50 years ago.
HEALTH RISKS AND LACK OF PREPARATION
High temperatures at night are particularly worrisome, as they significantly increase the risk to health. According to researchers, they are about 100 times more likely than in 2003, while daytime temperature peaks are about 10 times more frequent. Experts point out that the fatigue from repeating warnings is great. “There is a sad inevitability in all this, when scientists repeat the same warnings every year,” said climatologist Friederike Otto. “We are moving towards an increasingly dangerous future.”
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Experts are calling for more shade in cities, better ventilation of buildings and expansion of green spaces to reduce the “urban heat island” effect. They are also recommending greater support for hospitals and increased care for the elderly and vulnerable.
The massive use of air conditioners is viewed with caution, as it can increase the load on the electrical grid and worsen urban heating, although it remains necessary for hospitals, nursing homes, and public transport.
POLITICAL AND CLIMATE DEBATE
As temperatures rise, the political debate over climate change is heating up. Some political forces in Europe oppose clean energy policies, while others call for increased use of air conditioners as a quick fix. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeated calls to stop using fossil fuels, while warnings about the climate crisis often clash with political decisions that weaken environmental policies.
A FADING MEMORY
For Masselot, who remembers his childhood in hot summers in France, where people kept their shutters closed all day to protect themselves from the sun, awareness of the heat has increased, but not enough. “People have learned some lessons and know what the dangers are,” he said. “But often, once the summer is over, we forget again.”
OVER 1300 VICTIMS IN EUROPE
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the alarm about the severe consequences of the heat wave that has swept Europe, announcing that over 1.300 deaths related to extreme temperatures have been recorded since June 21. The news was made public by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who stressed that Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, with a rate of increase in temperatures twice the global average.
According to him, extreme heat poses a serious threat to public health and heat stress remains one of the most underestimated causes of death. For this reason, he described it as a “silent killer”, as in many cases it is not immediately identified as the main cause of loss of life. The most at risk are the elderly, people with chronic diseases, children and those who work or spend a lot of time outdoors.
Tedros also stressed that most homes, workplaces and schools in Europe are not built to withstand such high and prolonged temperatures. This makes the population even more exposed to the risks posed by heat waves, which experts say are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change. WHO called on European governments to take urgent measures to protect citizens, including improving early warning systems, adapting infrastructure to new climate conditions and strengthening response plans during periods of extreme temperatures. (The Guardian)