Europe is currently dealing with a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures in Italy predicted to range between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius.
The current European high of 48.8 degrees Celsius, established in Sicily in 2021, may potentially be broken. This blistering heat has now spread to other southern and eastern European countries, including France, Spain, Poland, and Greece, interrupting travel plans for travelers visiting popular holiday sites throughout the region.
The heatwave is attributed to an anticyclone named Cerberus, a high-pressure system that brings about dry and settled weather with limited cloud formation and little wind.
When these systems form over hot locations like the Sahara, they can last for days or even weeks, causing hotter temperatures. In accordance to The Conversation, the Italian Meteorological Society, the Cerberus heatwave is anticipated to last approximately two weeks.
Climate change is one of the primary factors contributing to these catastrophic storms. While it is difficult to attribute a single incident to climate change, rising temperatures are affecting air circulation patterns, increasing the occurrence of severe temperatures and drought across Europe.
The Intergovernmental group on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations-led group, has shown that the frequency and size of such catastrophes have increased since the 1950s. Heatwaves can cause heatstroke and dehydration, both of which can impair respiratory and cardiovascular performance.
During the current heatwave, there have already been reports of heat-related health events across Europe, including the death of an Italian road worker and multiple cases of heatstroke recorded in Spain and Italy.
Heatwaves have greater societal and financial repercussions than just individual health. Extreme heat can cause infrastructure damage, restrict water availability, and have an impact on energy production, crop irrigation, and drinking water supply.Due to rising river temperatures and low water levels, French nuclear facilities were unable to operate at full capacity in 2022. According to research, excessive heat has already had a negative influence on European economic growth, decreasing it by up to 0.5% over the last decade.
Even if we discontinued the release of greenhouse gases today, the climate would continue to increase due to the heat already absorbed and trapped by the oceans.
While our countries manage to limit the rate of global warming, the repercussions of climate change will be felt in the future.
By Tanya Bajaj
