Heatwave Claims Thousands of Lives Across Europe
BRUSSELS: The unprecedented heatwave sweeping across Europe since late June has reportedly claimed thousands of lives, while several countries continue to record record-high temperatures as extreme heat moves towards the eastern part of the continent.
World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said more than 1,300 deaths have been recorded across Europe since 21 June.
He said Europe is now the fastest-warming continent, at a rate more than double the global average.
“Driven by climate change and global warming, heatwave events that once occurred once in a generation are now almost an annual occurrence,” he said via a post on platform X.
According to experts, although not all deaths are directly caused by hot temperatures, heatwaves do increase mortality rates, especially among at-risk groups.
France’s Public Health Agency reported that most of the victims who died were aged 65 and above, but extreme hot weather also affects the health of all segments of society.
Lecturer at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London, Garyfallos Konstantinoudis said heat stress occurs when the body fails to regulate its temperature, leading to dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
He said heatstroke can cause body temperatures to exceed 40 degrees Celsius, in addition to causing confusion, loss of consciousness, rapid heart rate, organ failure and death if not treated immediately.
He said heat stress also increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and respiratory failure, particularly among the elderly, persons with disabilities and individuals who do not have access to shelter or adequate water supplies.
Heat Dome Phenomenon
Meteorologists explain that the current heatwave is caused by a heat dome phenomenon, which is an area of high atmospheric pressure that traps hot air over a region for an extended period.
This phenomenon is reinforced by an atmospheric pattern known as an omega block, which disrupts the normal flow of air currents and causes hot air to remain in the same area for several days or weeks.
Scientists also stress that climate change caused by human activity has made heatwaves occur far more frequently and more extreme.
According to Laurie Parsons from Royal Holloway, University of London, the global average temperature has now risen by about 1.25 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era, while in 2024 that increase reached 1.55 degrees Celsius.
He said heatwaves like the one currently occurring are about 30 times more likely to happen compared to before climate change, while phenomena that once occurred only once in 300 years can now recur more than once in a decade.
To address the crisis, several European countries have begun implementing various protective measures.
The European Trade Union Confederation has urged the European Commission to enact legislation setting a maximum temperature limit in workplaces to protect workers.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the cooling sector is expected to contribute about 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 if no changes are made.
Sinar Harian