The summer of 2022 was characterized by superlatives: the warmest month since the beginning of the measurements, the lowest water levels in the water, the highest fish mortality. People were sweating, the forests were burning and nature was thirsty.
The EU Earth observation program Copernicus reported that the European average temperature this summer was another 0.4 degrees higher than in the previous record year 2021. But that was only an exception, right? No! That was just the beginning. In parts of Spain, instead of the “harmless” 44 degrees this year, about 50 degrees could be measured in the future. The Mediterranean region is particularly hard hit.
It is “a hot spot for climate change,” meteorologist Markus Donat (44) told “Spiegel”. He is involved in climate simulations and predictions for the future. The outlook looks bleak. “Our observations show that summer in southern and central Europe is warming much more than the global average,” continues the expert.
October is already almost 2 degrees too hot
Some records would even have surprised experts. Even when the Paris climate accord was signed in 2015, hardly any researcher believed it would get that hot so quickly. This rating has now been changed. Experts now believe that the 1.5 degree mark will be reached with a chance of around 50 percent by 2026.
Some of this year’s heat records are just amazing, Donat tells the “Mirror”. They were expected in ten years at the earliest. But now every city and region has to adapt to the fact that it will stay that way: heatwaves are becoming more frequent, more intense and lasting longer.
Heat waves are deadly
Extreme summers will also become more common in Switzerland in the future, ETH professor Sonia I. Seneviratne told Blick in late August. “Extremely warm days followed by tropical nights have a particularly negative effect on health, especially in urban areas, due to the heat island effect.”
This can have serious consequences, even fatal. In July this year alone, the EU statistics agency Eurostat recorded 53,000 more deaths in the EU this month than usual. Not just because of the heat. Corona probably also plays a major role. But one thing is clear: the high temperatures can be dangerous.
And it’s still too hot right now. According to Meteo News, October has been 1.9 degrees too warm so far. “Tempers will remain above average for the coming week,” meteorologist Klaus Marquardt writes in his analysis. (Hi)
Source: Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
