Germany records 41.7°C as heatwave kills hundreds
A severe heatwave sweeping across Europe has been linked to more than 1,300 excess deaths since June 21, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday. Germany recorded its hottest day ever for the third consecutive day, reaching 41.7°C in the eastern part of the country. Temperature records were also broken in Poland and the Czech Republic as the extreme heat moved eastward.
Tedros described heat stress as a "silent killer" and noted that European homes, workplaces, and schools were not built for these temperatures. The WHO called on European countries to implement heat health action plans to protect vulnerable populations.
Climate change made heatwave 2°C hotter
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution consortium conducted an analysis showing that the current heatwave would have been 2°C cooler if it had occurred in 2003. Looking further back, it would have been 3.5°C cooler in 1976. The sweltering night-time temperatures currently harming people's sleep are about 100 times more likely today than in 2003.
"Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the 'once-in-a-generation' heatwave is now occurring nearly annually," Tedros warned. Europe is warming at twice the global average, according to the WHO. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has documented how the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events is increasing across the continent.
Grids buckle, schools shut as millions suffer
Millions of people across Europe are living under extreme heat conditions. Schools have been shut in multiple countries, and power grids are buckling under the strain of increased air conditioning demand. In Berlin, residents sought relief in public fountains as the city sweltered. Scientists warned that without urgent climate action, future heat conditions will get even more extreme and that the current summer could seem relatively cool in retrospect.