Vacationers flock to ‘Dying Valley’ as heatwave sweeps throughout globe

‘We’re in for a little bit of a experience,’ warns the World Meteorological Group (WMO), whose representatives addressed the press in Geneva.

Our #EFFIS🔥 Hearth Hazard Forecast for 18 July:

🟤Very Excessive Hazard in:
➡A number of areas of the Iberian Peninsula #Spain🇪🇸
➡️#Puglia, #Calabria, #Sicilia and #Sardegna in #Italy🇮🇹
➡️#Greece‘s Attica Peninsula and Japanese Peloponnese🇬🇷

Extra at👇https://t.co/2PjdHyXOpI pic.twitter.com/AJiFhV6ReJ

— Copernicus EMS (@CopernicusEMS) July 18, 2023

John Nairn, senior excessive warmth advisor on the UN company, cautions that the heatwaves are intensifying and can change into extra frequent. The northern hemisphere has seen a six-fold enhance in extended and simultaneous heatwaves because the Eighties, and this pattern reveals no signal of abating, studies CNN.

The urgency to behave on the local weather disaster is echoing worldwide, says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Well being Group, calling on world leaders to take rapid motion.

Already, international temperatures have risen by 1.2 levels Celsius above pre-industrial ranges attributable to human actions emitting fossil fuels. Simon Lewis, chair of world change science on the College Faculty London, warns that the present international insurance policies might result in a terrifying 2.7 levels Celsius warming by 2100.

Final month, June experienced the planet’s hottest temperatures on document, accompanied by document ocean temperatures and a decline in Antarctic ice ranges. The warmth surge continues in July, with the primary week marking the most well liked ever recorded, pushing the planet into uncharted territory.

Excessive heatwaves have devastating penalties, with untimely deaths, particularly among the many aged. As local weather harms are unequally felt, adaptation measures are essential. Initiatives like cool zones or drop-in facilities, elevated tree protection, and renewable-powered air con in care properties can assist mitigate the impression on weak communities.

Read: Too hot to handle: Why South Africa’s cities need more trees

Italy, Greece, and Spain are at the moment experiencing hovering temperatures, with a high-pressure anticyclone pushing up from North Africa. European international locations might quickly surpass the continent’s document of 48.8 levels Celsius set in 2021. Authorities suggested folks to take precautions, corresponding to staying hydrated and avoiding direct daylight throughout peak hours.

The scorching warmth has additionally primed the land for wildfires, which have wreaked havoc in Spain’s Canary Islands and Greece, forcing evacuations and inflicting intensive injury.

With excessive warmth waves changing into the brand new norm, humanity should urgently handle the local weather disaster and transition to sustainable practices to safe a livable future for all. As we brace ourselves for this unprecedented experience, it’s essential to behave decisively and collectively to fight the rising temperatures and safeguard our planet.