Heat waves scorch Europe once again

Another summer of extreme heat gripped Europe this July, as punishing heat waves pushed temperatures to dangerous levels across much of the continent, fuelling wildfires, straining health systems and reinforcing a pattern that has become grimly familiar in recent years.

Temperatures soared well above seasonal norms across southern and central Europe, with readings climbing past 40 degrees Celsius in some areas. The heat prompted health alerts, disrupted transport and daily life, and raised the risk of heat-related illness and death, particularly among the elderly and vulnerable.

Wildfires broke out across tinder-dry landscapes in several countries, forcing evacuations and taxing firefighting resources. Warm, dry conditions and strong winds combined to create dangerous fire weather across the Mediterranean region.

Scientists have repeatedly found that climate change is making such heat waves more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting, and that events once considered rare are becoming regular features of European summers. Each successive heat wave adds to the evidence and the toll.

The recurring extreme heat has pushed European governments and cities to accelerate efforts to adapt, from expanding access to cooling and greening urban areas to issuing earlier warnings and protecting outdoor workers. But scientists stress that adaptation alone cannot keep pace without deep cuts in the emissions driving the warming, as the continent confronts summers that grow more dangerous with each passing year.