Joint Statement on Climate Change states Death rates due to warmer climates in Europe have increased by 30 percent in two decades.2023 is the year of all-time highs in terms of heat. Eleven of the 12 months recorded above average air and sea surface temperatures. September was actually the hottest month on record.
Pollutants, which trap heat and clog the atmosphere, have helped push temperatures in Europe to record highs by 2023. It has also been found in the study Europeans are piling up as they suffer from this unprecedented heat during the day mental stress And nights become uncomfortable.
“The cost of climate action may seem high,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Salo. “But the cost of inaction is too high”.
Intense heat and rain
Last year, temperatures in Europe were above average for 11 months of 2023. September was considered the hottest on record, according to the study. During this cycle of high temperatures, hotter and drier climates facilitated the spread of large fires, which in turn sent large amounts of smoke into the atmosphere of cities.Portugal, Spain and Italy have been identified as the European countries most weakened by the drought. With 96,000 hectares burned, Greece is said to have experienced the largest forest fire ever recorded in the European Union.
But it's not just heat that wreaks havoc. Heavy rains caused flooding across Europe. In 2023, precipitation in the European territory increased by seven percent compared to the average of the last 30 years.
“In 2023, Europe will witness the largest forest fires ever recorded, one of the wettest years, severe ocean heat waves and widespread catastrophic flooding.”Quoted in the British newspaper, Carlo Buntempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, highlighted Guardian.Alpine glaciers have lost ten percent of their volume in the past two years.
“Temperatures continue to rise, which makes our data very important in preparing for the impacts of climate change,” he added.
Friedrich Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London, was not involved in the report, but agrees that “the number of heat-related deaths will be higher in 2023.”
“For many of these deaths, The extra heat caused by fossil fuel emissions could have been the difference between life and death.warns Otto.
Ana Raquel Nunes, assistant professor of health and environment at the University of Warwick, said outside the study that “urgent action is needed to protect health and to include it in climate policy”.
“Anything less would mean denying future generations the protection and vision they deserve”, he concludes.
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