The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued a heatwave red alert for large portions of southern and eastern Europe and warned of an increased risk of fatalities as extreme weather grips the continent, Asia, and the United States.
On Tuesday, temperatures in various Italian cities could reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), with the region of Lazio, which includes Rome, reaching 42 to 43 degrees Celsius (107 to 109 degrees Fahrenheit). Highs on the Italian island of Sardinia could reach over 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit).
With baking temperatures hitting Europe during the peak summer tourist season, the heatwave in the northern hemisphere is set to intensify, said WMO, the weather agency of the United Nations.
An estimated 61,000 people may have died in heatwaves last year in Europe alone.
The European Union’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre issued red alerts for high temperatures for most of Italy, northeastern Spain, Croatia, Serbia, southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.
Red Cross teams in Portugal used social media to warn people not to leave their dogs or young children in parked cars, while civil protection officers in Italy kept an eye out for anyone who were struggling from the heat in central Rome’s crowds. Volunteers distributed water to the needy in Greece, and in Spain they warned people to avoid breathing in fire smoke.
Some nations are going above and beyond to safeguard public health in the hot summer of 2023.
In order to help employees cope with the extreme heat, Greek authorities this week announced modifications to working hours and the closure of the Acropolis and other historic sites in the afternoon.
Worldwide temperature records are being broken, and according to scientists, there is a good likelihood that 2023 will go down in history as the year that was the warmest on record going back to the middle of the 19th century.
This summer’s heatwaves have been accompanied by devastating flooding in India and South Korea as well as wildfires that have spread from Greece to the Swiss Alps and reached temperatures of over 52°C (127°F) in China’s northwest.
The world’s two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, the US and China, have increased the urgency of their negotiations this week.
John Kerry, a US climate envoy, met with Chinese officials in Beijing and voiced optimism that climate cooperation may reshape the two countries’ strained relations.
Beijing’s commitment to carbon neutrality was emphasized by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who also stated that a carbon peak was inevitable but would not be affected by outside forces.
The WMO cautioned that as the heatwave gets worse, temperatures will remain over 40C (104F) for an extended period of time this week across North America, Asia, and throughout North Africa and the Mediterranean.
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