Europeans, especially in the south of the continent, experience more heat stress during the summer months as climate change causes longer periods of extreme weather, a study published Thursday showed.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service, which reports to the European Union, said that comparison of data from several decades showed that record temperatures last year led to conditions dangerous to human health.
strong thermal stress
“Southern Europe experienced a record number of days with ‘very strong heat stress,’” defined as temperatures ranging from 38 to 46 degrees Celsius (100 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit), it said.
The number of summer days with “strong” (32 to 38 Celsius) or “very strong” heat stress is increasing across the continent, while in southern Europe it also occurs with “thermal stress” days extreme”, when thermometers exceed 46 degrees Celsius, said Copernicus.
“There is also a downward trend in the number of ‘no heat stress’ days,” he added.
Heat stress is increasingly considered a major problem around the world as the planet warms due to the effects of man-made climate change. Experts say it can cause a wide range of health problems, including rashes, dehydration, and heat stroke.
The warning was included in the Copernicus annual report on the state of Europe’s climate, which confirmed that the continent experienced the second hottest year on record in 2022.
Last summer was the warmest in all of Europe with a rise of 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 Fahrenheit) above the reference period, between 1991 and 2020. The Svalbard region in the Arctic reached temperatures 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 Fahrenheit) above its average, he said.
High temperatures and decreased rainfall resulted in widespread drought, while summer forest fires caused the highest carbon dioxide emissions in 15 years, according to Copernicus.
This contributed to a record melting of alpine glaciers, where more than five cubic kilometers of ice disappeared, he said.