This is sound advice. The UN on Tuesday called for leaders to “wake up” to heat waves like the one Europe is currently experiencing, which are set to become more frequent due to climate change at least until the 2060s.
“These heat waves are becoming more frequent due to climate change”, and will multiply in the coming decades, said the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Petteri Taalas, during a press conference in Geneva.
Temperature records
“I hope that this kind of event will raise awareness among many governments, and have an impact on voting behavior in democratic countries,” added the Secretary General about the current heat wave. Temperature records have been falling one after another in Western Europe for the past few days: for the first time, the mercury exceeded 40°C in the United Kingdom on Tuesday afternoon.
The day before, around sixty French municipalities, mostly located in the west of the country, had also recorded absolute heat records, in a region ravaged by huge fires. “Our concern is that the time lapse between these records is being reduced,” said WMO’s head of applied climate services, Robert Stefanski, recalling that Portugal this week approached the European record of 48.8°C established last year in Sicily.
“We have boosted our atmosphere by injecting more greenhouse gases into it”
The World Health Organization (WHO) took the opportunity to recommend that all people working outdoors adapt their clothing during heat waves. Even the Queen of England’s guard, known for their towering bear fur headgear, are concerned, WHO environment and health director Maria Neira said, speaking from London . “If we see this trend of increasing heat waves, our dress code needs to be adapted accordingly,” Ms. Neira explained, hoping that “traditions can also be adapted. »
“We have boosted our atmosphere by injecting more greenhouse gases, in particular carbon dioxide,” Taalas said, in a sporting metaphor. Given the existing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, this increase in the frequency of heat waves is expected to last “at least until the 2060s, regardless of the success of our climate mitigation measures”, adds- he. The Secretary General also warned against their effects on health, recalling the heavy toll of the 2003 heat wave, which killed more than 70,000 people.