Researchers warn that the combination of extreme temperatures and high humidity significantly increases health risks
Forty-five percent of European cities have reached or are about to surpass historical maximums of heat stress during the current heat wave on the continent, indicates a study published this Friday by World Weather Attribution.
The analysis carried out in 854 cities in a total of 30 European countries concluded that 385 locations have exceeded or could exceed in the coming days the highest global and wet bulb temperature records.
This indicator, known by its acronym in English, WBGT, is a real estimate of the effect of temperature, humidity, wind speed and visible and infrared radiation on humans.
Researchers warn that the combination of extreme temperatures and high humidity significantly increases health risks, especially among the elderly, outdoor workers, children and vulnerable people.
According to the analysis, the current heatwave would have been “practically impossible” just 50 years ago, as both daytime and nighttime temperatures recorded in a heatwave on the same dates in 1975 would be 3.5 degrees Celsius (°C) lower.
The research also points out that high nighttime temperatures — one of the factors that most affect health, by preventing the body’s regeneration — are now 100 times more likely than they were 23 years ago, when Europe experienced a historic heatwave, while daytime highs are up to 10 times more frequent.
Scientists attribute the intensity of these phenomena to the impact of global warming, caused by “continuous emissions of fossil fuels” into the atmosphere.
“The science behind how climate change is worsening heatwaves is indisputable and the speed of change is alarming. Every few years we see record heat in Europe, but this year it has happened in consecutive months,” says Theodore Keeping, a researcher specializing in weather phenomena and wildfires at Imperial College London.
UN Executive Secretary for Climate Change Simon Stiell says the extreme heat affecting Europe is a symptom of climate change “advancing unchecked”, caused by “the global addiction to burning coal, oil and gas”, although he stresses that “the solutions are equally clear”.
According to Stiell, “a faster transition to clean energy, which is now much cheaper than fossil fuels, is needed, as well as the protection of forests and the promotion of climate resilience.”
Equally alarming are the statements by Professor of Climate Sciences at Imperial College London, Friederike Otto, who laments that scientists are beginning to sound like “a broken record”.
“Yes, this is climate change, yes, we are responsible, no, it is not El Niño; yes, we have the solutions, no, we are not applying them quickly enough,” he says.
