Heat Across Europe Is Exposing the Global Climate Crisis

Have you seen the videos of people placing pans outdoors and trying to fry eggs in the sun? They may look like light hearted internet experiments, but the weather behind them is anything but funny because June has brought extraordinary heat across Europe. 

In the UK, a country better known for grey skies than extreme temperatures, the temperature reached 37°C in Suffolk.

Bus drivers in France have reported struggling through long shifts in vehicles with inadequate cooling.

The Guardian quotes climate scientist Prof Friederike Otto:

“Yes, this is climate change. Yes, it’s us. Yes, we have the solutions. No, we’re not implementing them fast enough.”

The heat is melting tracks in Germany and France, and public transport has been affected. Germany recorded its highest temperature of the year, and an all-time national record, at 41.7°C.

Paris reached 40.9°C, and several cities in Europe later recorded temperatures close to 40°C.

Why is Europe getting this hot?

Scientists say the reason this weather system is producing such extreme temperatures is, of course, human-caused climate change.

Europe is also warming faster than any other continent. The World Meteorological Organization says extreme heat is becoming more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting, affecting human health, ecosystems and people’s ability to work safely.

Europe was built largely to retain warmth, not release it. Many homes, schools, buses and hospitals are poorly prepared for prolonged heat.

The European Environmental Bureau, an environmental organisation, made a post on Instagram saying that we should start naming heatwaves after fossil fuel and meat companies.

This heat is not a summer problem alone and global warming is actually affecting different locations. The climate crisis is affecting daily life, and without faster action, these extreme temperatures will become more common and more dangerous.