Preliminary data published by the World Meteorological Organization showed yesterday that the first week of this July was the hottest week ever, and this data is the latest in a series of records since the beginning of the year that includes drought in Spain, severe heat waves in China and the United States, impact of climate changes.
The organization stressed that temperatures are about to exceed record levels on land and in the oceans, with potentially devastating effects on ecosystems and the environment. Christopher Hewitt, director of climate services at the organization, said: “We are in the unknown, and it can be expected that more record levels will be exceeded with the development of the (El Nino) phenomenon, and these effects will extend until 2024.” “This is disturbing news for the world,” he added.
The organization’s researchers expressed concern that rising water temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean would increase the risk of extreme weather events in Europe.
Dr. Omar Badour, responsible for climate monitoring at the organization in Geneva, explained that the North Atlantic Ocean is one of the most important drivers of extreme weather conditions, whether in Europe or on the eastern coast of North America. Budour revealed the fact that with high temperatures, which are sometimes extreme, the risk of heavy rains and hurricanes increases.
A study published yesterday in the journal Nature Medicine indicated that there were more than 60,000 deaths due to the high temperatures that Europe witnessed during the summer of 2022, calling for redoubling efforts to confront the upcoming heat waves. Scientists from the French Institute for Health Research (Inserm) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) said that without an effective response, the European continent will face an average of more than 68,000 deaths every summer by 2030, and more than 94,000 by 2040.
The summer of 2022 was the hottest ever in Europe, as it witnessed a succession of heat waves that exceeded record levels in terms of temperatures, drought, and forest fires.
Scientists analyzed temperature data and death data for the period between 2015 and 2022 in 823 regions of 35 European countries, with a total population of more than 543 million people, and accordingly they were able to develop epidemiological models to predict the number of deaths caused by temperatures in each region and each week of summer period last year.
The analysis showed that between May 30 and September 4, 2022, heat waves and drought in Europe resulted in several deaths, especially between July 18 and 24, when a total of 11,637 deaths were attributed to high temperatures, but the actual number was not accurately determined.
• The first week of July is the hottest in the world ever.
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2023-07-10 22:00:15
