By: Elaine Wang
A heatwave has been punishing the citizens of western Europe, with many suffering in mainly France and Spain last Wednesday and Friday. Climate scientists and meteorologists agree that climate change is causing these bouts of extreme heat to occur more frequently, and that people should start taking global warming more seriously.
Dozens of weather stations in France have recorded Friday having the hottest temperatures in June. The town of Pissos and Revel have additionally experienced their hottest day in recorded history, with temperatures reaching 107 degrees and 104 degrees Fahrenheit respectively.
This, coupled with ever-increasing temperatures in recent years, has led Alex Burkill, a senior meteorologist, to state, “This is the type of thing that climate scientists were warning about, and unfortunately, it does look like this is going to become more common.”
Authorities in Spain have put almost the entire country under “extreme risk” of wildfire last week, as well as issued dozens of heat warnings. Thousands have evacuated as firefighters try to put out the flames already occurring.
Furthermore, hundreds of swift hatchlings in southern Spain died after trying to escape their sweltering nests and leaving them too early. Elena Moreno Portillo, a biologist, told the Guardian newspaper that the protected species often build enclosed nests made of concrete or metal, materials whose surface can easily rise to extreme temperatures when exposed to heat. “So it becomes an oven and the chicks, who can’t fly yet, rush out because they can’t stand the temperature inside. They’re literally being cooked,” she said.
Faced with these extreme temperatures, European residents are unable to do anything, as both France and Germany are reported to have only around 5 percent or fewer households that have air conditioning, whereas more than 90 percent have access to this luxury in the United States.
Additionally, some European countries’ governments have dissuaded residents and tourists from using too much air conditioning this summer, in an attempt to lower their dependence on Russian fossil fuel and electricity demand.
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