The heat wave of recent weeks in North America, and also in Europe, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of people, may be the only such case in a thousand years. However, if people no longer think about their actions, we will be able to observe such extreme heat waves more and more often. Dozens of climate researchers are convinced that man-made activities have accelerated global warming 150 times.
IN SHORT:
- An unprecedented heat wave has taken over Europe and North America.
- Hundreds of people have lost their lives due to the heat.
- The heat wave and such a significant rise in temperature – a surprise for meteorologists.
- Meteorological expert: Man has also contributed to radical weather.
- Researchers warn: Heat waves will become more frequent.
- Scientist: We need to reduce carbon emissions and take care of the most vulnerable.
- The EC will present a comprehensive package of “green legislation” this week.
- The EU’s plans are more ambitious than elsewhere, but environmentalists see them as insufficient.
Dozens of climate researchers: Extreme heat waves can recur more oftenUģis Lībietis
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For several weeks now, an unprecedented heat wave has taken over both Europe and North America. The Canadian town of Litona gained widespread recognition, where at the end of June the thermometer reached 49.6 degrees Celsius. Hundreds of people were killed by the heat, but the city of Litona itself was almost completely devastated by fire the day after the record was set.
Such a heat wave and a rise in temperature by so many degrees has also come as a surprise to many meteorologists, who admit that such heat has not been experienced in the last 100 years and even earlier. Some experts even point out that such heat is possible once in a millennium.
Jerg Lutherbach, a spokesman for the World Meteorological Organization, acknowledged that
such radical weather has also been facilitated by man and his activities.
“This is a very rare and unexpected event. There is no climatic evidence, for example from tree annuals or other resources, to suggest that this has been the case for the last 100-150 years. Human activities, allowing greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, methane and so on to enter the atmosphere, lead to this gas accumulating in the atmosphere and preventing heat from leaving the atmosphere. That’s why it’s accumulating and global warming is happening, “Lutherbach explained.
However, as climate researchers from the US, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland warn in their latest study, such heat waves will become more frequent and by 2040 they will no longer be heat waves once a millennium, but possibly once a decade. Representatives of the World Weather Attribution project also acknowledged that without human activity, the possibility of such a temperature increase would be about 150 times less, which would not be possible at all.
One of the authors of the study, Shockje Phillips of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, pointed out that the recorded records do not mean that the highest point has been reached. “Now we can definitely confirm that such heat waves are possible, even if the records are broken by 5 degrees. A year or two ago, we in the Netherlands were shocked that the record was being broken by 1.8 degrees, but this year we are already talking about 5 degrees. In my opinion, we should take this as a warning that such extreme weather is already possible today. Is it possible to increase the temperature even more? I do not know, we need to look into this.
We also thought about this heat that it was simply not possible, but it happened.
We need to find out whether this is just one unusual event or whether different regularities are beginning to play a role. We have reached a milestone, but will it be violated? It takes at least a few months to be able to answer that, ”said Phillips.
Scientists emphasize the role of man in causing such heat waves. Shokje Phillips pointed out that people themselves should also think about how to change their habits, including taking care of others. “I think we need to go in two directions. Firstly, it is necessary to stop or reduce the release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. However, on the other hand,
we also need to develop heat plans and take care of the most vulnerable.
Such heat plans really do play an important role, albeit reminding neighbors that they need to drink enough water to prevent dehydration. It is also worth thinking about coolers and air conditioners. All of this is necessary, even if we stop emitting carbon dioxide, ”said Phillips.
The European Commission is also expected to present a comprehensive package of “green legislation” on Wednesday, 14 July, aimed at accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy. These are more than a dozen proposals that aim to reduce harmful emissions in the European Union by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990. Among other things, the European Commission wants to change the European Union’s emissions trading system and has proposed a ban on the sale of new conventional cars from 2035 onwards.
Although the EU’s plans are considered very ambitious compared to other regions of the world, environmentalists have pointed out that they are not far-reaching enough. On the other hand, there are objections both from countries that still have coal-fired power stations and from countries that have a highly developed automotive industry.
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