What's causing the deadly European heatwave?

By India Today Environment Desk: Europe is currently grappling with a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures in Italy expected to soar between 40 degrees Celcius and 45 degrees Celcius.

The current European temperature record of 48.8 degrees Celcius, set in Sicily in 2021, may even be surpassed. This scorching heat has also spread to other southern and eastern European countries, including France, Spain, Poland, and Greece, disrupting travel plans for those heading to popular holiday destinations across the region.

The heatwave is attributed to an anticyclone named Cerberus, a high-pressure system that brings about dry and settled weather with limited cloud formation and little wind.

These systems tend to persist for days or even weeks, generating hotter temperatures when formed over hot regions like the Sahara.

The Italian Meteorological Society predicts that the Cerberus heatwave will persist for around two weeks, The Conversation reported.

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Climate change plays a significant role in these extreme weather events. While it's challenging to link a single event directly to climate change, warming temperatures are altering atmospheric circulation patterns, leading to increased occurrences of extreme temperatures and drought in Europe.

Research by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations'led panel, confirms an increase in the frequency and magnitude of such events since the 1950s.

Heatwaves pose serious health risks, including heatstroke and dehydration, which can affect respiratory and cardiovascular performance.

There have already been reports of heat-related health incidents in Europe during the ongoing heatwave, including the death of an Italian road worker and numerous cases of heatstroke reported across Spain and Italy.

Beyond individual health, heatwaves have broader social and economic consequences. Extreme heat can damage infrastructure, reduce water availability, affecting electricity production, crop irrigation, and drinking water supply.

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In 2022, French nuclear plants were unable to run at full capacity due to higher river temperatures and low water levels. Research indicates that extreme heat has already negatively impacted economic growth in Europe, lowering it by up to 0.5% over the past decade.

As global temperatures continue to rise, heatwaves will become more severe. It's crucial for governments worldwide to take swift and decisive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions immediately.

However, even if we were to halt global greenhouse gas emissions today, the climate would still continue to warm due to the heat already absorbed and retained by the oceans.

While we countries manage to slow down the rate of global warming, the effects of climate change will continue to be experienced in the future.

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