Scientists have stated that the record temperatures that affected Europe 50 years ago were almost impossible, and the main cause of the heat is climate change.
elchi reports that researchers from World Weather Attribution (WWA), consisting mainly of scientists from numerous institutions and universities in the UK and Europe, analyzed temperature dynamics in 854 cities with populations over 50,000 in the European Union (EU), the UK, Switzerland, and Norway.
Scientists have determined that 45% of these cities are experiencing or are about to experience all-time record levels in terms of global wet-bulb temperature, which is a measure of heat stress.
According to the scientists, who determined that the extreme heat that affected Europe 50 years ago, especially in the last week, was almost impossible, the main cause of these temperatures is climate change.
According to WWA’s analysis, rapidly intensifying climate change has increased the probability of extreme heat waves in Europe by 100 times compared to the temperature conditions in 2003. The probability of experiencing the highest daytime temperatures is about 10 times higher than usual.
In 45% of the 854 cities in the 30 European countries analyzed, high temperature and humidity have combined to create dangerous conditions for human health.
It was also determined that El Niño has no effect on the extreme heat in Europe.
In the assessment of the analysis, Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, stated that climate change, stemming from the world’s dependence on coal, oil, and gas, is spreading rapidly and added: “But the solution is extremely clear. We must transition faster from fossil fuels to cheaper clean energy, as well as protect forests and increase climate resilience. No country can continue ‘business as usual’. We must accelerate this process together.”
Theodore Keeping, a researcher specializing in Extreme Weather Events and Wildfires at Imperial College London, stated that the scientific findings on how climate change intensifies extreme heat waves are conclusive. Keeping noted that continuous emissions from fossil fuels are “directly responsible” for this week’s high temperatures, adding: “We see temperature records being broken in Europe every few years. But this year, it happened over consecutive months. We are used to ‘snow days’ in the UK where schools close, but this generation is growing up with ‘heat days’.”
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