Extreme heatwaves spark climate emergencies worldwide
BEIJING: A new heatwave alert has sounded worldwide as Europe and the Middle East battle an extremely scorching heatwave this week, prompting climate emergencies in many countries.
According to Iran’s national meteorological service, the country is sweltering through its hottest week of the year, with temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius and in Tehran reaching 40 degrees on Sunday.
As searing heatwaves persist, Tehran’s water authority has urged residents to cut consumption by at least 20%, warning that dam reservoirs supplying the capital have fallen to their lowest levels in a century.
Some 3,500 km west of Tehran, Athens is enduring its first prolonged heatwave of the summer.
“Hot air masses sweeping in from North Africa arrived earlier this summer and have formed a heat dome over Greece and the Balkans, pushing temperatures up to 10 degrees above the seasonal norm,” said the National Observatory. With average highs forecast to approach 38 degrees this week and peak at 44 degrees in some areas, the National Herald described conditions as “hotter than hell”.
Such aridity, combined with gales, has led to severe wildfires across Greece.
On Thursday, firefighters grappled with a blaze on the island of Crete that burned through forests and olive groves, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 people. A new fire near Athens also edged dangerously close to residential areas.
In Türkiye, 761 wildfires were recorded in the ten days following 26 June. The fires in and around the western İzmir Province have claimed the lives of an elderly man and a forestry worker.
Across Europe, at least eight heat-related deaths have been reported in countries including Spain and Italy as the continent is baked by the heatwave.
“We are currently under the influence of a strong high-pressure system. This is trapping hot air from North Africa over the region and, as we can see, it is having a significant impact on how we feel,” said Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization.
She noted that people will have to learn to live with more frequent and intense heatwaves as a result of climate change.
The EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a recent article that “damage to the built environment from extreme weather events is expected to increase tenfold by the end of the century due to climate change alone.”
Such widespread climate impacts highlight the importance of building greater resilience, it added, calling for measures such as water recycling, separation of rainwater and greywater, climate-resilient building design, risk mapping and early-warning systems.
“Adaptation is required across all sectors and governance levels, and actions must address both current climate impacts and protect against future risks,” it said.
By RSS/Xinhua
