The wave that has hit parts of the country in recent days, including the country, represents a “harsh reminder” of its devastating consequences, the head of the country said, stressing the urgent need to accelerate the transition to clean forms of energy.
“This latest heat wave in Europe is a stark reminder of the spiraling consequences of the climate crisis, both human and economic. The main culprit is the planet’s dependence on burning coal, oil and natural gas, as well as deforestation,” Simon Steele told AFP.
“Many other regions of the world are also severely affected, such as India and other parts of Asia. The science is clear: human-induced climate change is making these heat waves more frequent and more extreme,” he added.
“Thermal dome” and fossil fuels
Under the influence of a persistent “heat dome”, France is experiencing unprecedented high temperatures for this time of year. The weather service Météo-France recorded a new monthly temperature record for the country today, with a nationwide average of 24.8 degrees Celsius.
Météo-France yesterday spoke of a “rare, historic and unprecedented” episode of early heat. The heat could reach unusual temperatures of “38 degrees or even 39 degrees Celsius” in places in the country in the coming days.
The United Kingdom today also broke a new record for the hottest day ever recorded in May, the fifth day of an unusual heatwave, the British Met Office announced.
In India, the heat wave persists, with the mercury hitting 47.4 degrees Celsius today in Banda, a city in northern Uttar Pradesh, with the government asking citizens to conserve water.
Simon Steele pointed out that the war in the Middle East also demonstrates “the exorbitant cost of dependence on fossil fuel imports”, while “the solutions are equally clear: a faster transition to clean energy”.
The executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reiterated the call for “much faster transition away from dependence on fossil fuels” and “more investment in building resilience to climate impacts”.
