In the summer of 2022, Europe suffocated, burned and was thirsty. The season was catastrophic, as evidenced by the unequaled levels reached on several levels: it was the hottest summer ever recorded, with several heat waves; the worst drought in 500 years, with flows in more than two-thirds of rivers below average; and the second worst fire season in history (5,000 square kilometers went up in smoke). As Europe’s climate becomes more extreme under the impact of the climate crisis, the European Environment Agency (EEA) provides an overview “pessimistic” of the future that awaits the Old Continent and calls on it to prepare for it more.
In a report released Wednesday, June 14the institution examines in detail the main threats hanging over Europe in the summer, the most warmed continent in the world : heat waves, floods, droughts and fires, as well as the increase in climate-sensitive diseases such as dengue fever. “The objective is to increase the awareness of decision-makers and the general public on the fact that summer no longer rhymes only with holidays and enjoying the sun. The climate is becoming extreme and changing in Europe and we must prepare for it”explains Aleksandra Kazmierczak, an expert at the AEE.
While it remains difficult at this stage to know what the next few months have in store for us, the European Copernicus service Expect above-average temperatures across Europe this summer. The outlook is also pessimistic for drought. The exceptionally warm and dry winter has resulted in low snow cover in the Alps, and therefore soil moisture, reduced river flows and water reserves in most southern and western countries. Europe. “Unexpected events in some regions are also starting to happen”, notes Aleksandra Kazmierczak; Denmark is also affected by a severe drought.
Deadly heat waves
Longer-term projections are easier to make but also more worrying. Heat waves dangerous to human health – such as those in the summer of 2022, which have caused between 15,000 and 100,000 deaths, according to studies – will continue to be more frequent, longer and more intense in all climate scenarios. At the end of the century, southern Europe could experience more than sixty days of summer per year with such dangerous conditions.
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