Rising temperatures in Europe have led to heatwaves and wildfires. (Representative)
Geneva:
The world must prepare to face a rapidly rising summer, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, as countries in the Northern Hemisphere grapple with rising temperatures.
“The intensity of these events will continue to increase and the world needs to prepare for more intense heat waves,” John Nairn, a senior extreme heat advisor at the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO), told reporters in Geneva.
His comments came as Europe faced new high temperatures on Tuesday due to persistent heat waves and wildfires that have scorched many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, prompting 1,200 children to be evacuated close to a Greek seaside resort. Had to be forced
Health officials have issued alerts from North America to Europe and Asia, urging people to stay hydrated and avoid the scorching sun in a reminder of the effects of global warming.
Nairn said heatwaves are one of the deadliest natural hazards, with hundreds of thousands of people dying each year from heat-related causes.
Due to increasing urbanisation, increase in high temperature extremes and demographic changes in countries with growing populations, heat is a rapidly growing health risk.
Nairn said that since the 1980s the number of simultaneous heatwaves that have been drawn into the Northern Hemisphere has increased sixfold.
“This trend shows no signs of abating,” he said.
“So I’m afraid we’re in a bit of trouble, and these will have pretty serious impacts on human health and livelihoods.”
Last weekend, the WMO said extreme heat warnings and advisories covered more than 100 million people in the United States.
Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, was preparing to reach the peak of the current heatwave on Italy’s Sicily and Sardinia islands, with maximum temperatures of 48 °C (118 °F) predicted by the European Space Agency. Went.
According to the United Nations Meteorological Agency, the current European temperature record is 48.8C recorded in Sicily in 2021.
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