Is there a solution to the fact that the European climate is so extreme?

He time In Europe this month of July is, indeed, a story of two halves. In the north of the continent, temperatures have been well below average and there has been much more rain than normal, while the south faces heat waves and forest fires.

More rain in Belgium than in more than a century

In Belgium alone, June marked the ninth consecutive month with more rain than usual, a new record for the country, the worst for 119 years. In mid-June, an entire month of rain fell in a single week, causing flooding in several regions.

It was also a much less sunny month than a normal June, a sentiment shared across much of the rest of northern Europe, where temperatures are still struggling to break the 20-degree barrier in many places.

While northerners continue to wait for the start of a typical summer, the southern and eastern countries are already suffocated and face their own problems.

Hotter than ever

The latest report from the EU meteorological serviceCopernicusthe EU climate observatoryclearly shows that the month of June has been warmer around the world than any other previous June according to its historical data.

In fact, it was the thirteenth consecutive month in which Heat records were broken. Sea surface temperatures in North Atlantic They have also shot up to their highest level in more than 40 years.

Overall, the period between July 2023 and June 2024 has been the warmest ever recorded, with 0.76ºC above the 1991-2020 average and another 1.64ºC above the pre-industrial average.

In the south, extreme temperatures have caused heat waves and forest fires

Spain, Italia y Greece They remain some of the most popular destinations for summer vacations. The reason? They offer the type of trips that most Europeans usually want: sun and beach vacations.

According to European Travel Commissionbut Could extreme heat discourage tourists? It seems.

The European Travel Commission has reported that the number of tourists heading to southern Europe has fallen by 10% since 2022, as fears about the climate and weather are beginning to permeate ordinary people.

They say extreme weather and transport disruptions are “significant concerns for the 10% of Europeans keen to travel in the coming months”.

“76% of those surveyed affirm Adjust your travel habits based on climate change. 17% say they will avoid destinations with extreme temperatures, a figure that rises to 32% in the case of those over 55 years of ageindicating that older travelers are the most concerned about coping with rising temperatures,” adds the European Travel Commission.

Deadly heat

This year, heat waves have already hit some parts of Europe earlier than ever.

Regions of Greece, Chipre, Türkiyeand Italy have already suffered extreme heat, with temperatures in some places 10 degrees above the seasonal average. These extreme temperatures have caused numerous deathsincluding six foreign tourists found dead this year in Greece after leaving excursion. Many others have disappeared under similar circumstances.

Scorching temperatures coupled with strong winds have sparked forest fires near the Greek capital Athens, and in the Turkish district of Izmir, residents and holidaymakers have been forced to evacuate their homes.

In France, a few weeks before the start of the Paris Olympic Gamesorganizers are concerned about the safety of athletes, due to possible record temperatures.

For this reason, they have authorized countries to order portable air conditioning units to ensure your environments stay a little cooler.

In Spain, authorities have published a new map to help predict the heat wave more accurately and avoid illness and even death.

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Deadly storms and floods have occurred in northern Europe

Weather conditions extreme in Europe have cost their lives at least seven people in storms in Switzerland, France and northern Italy.

At the beginning of the month, the bodies of three people were recovered after a landslide in the Fontana area, in the Maggia valley, south of the Swiss Alps. It is believed that the rising river surprised a man whose body was found in a hotel in the Alpine resort of Saas-Grund.

The fatalities have been affected by the intense rains that have fallen in both the south and the west of Switzerland. Also in northern Italy, the floods, storms and landslides have wreaked havoc.

Italian firefighters in the northern Piedmont region say they have already carried out some 80 rescue operations so far this summerevacuating dozens of people.

Only in the Aosta Valley region, several towns have been isolated due to the overflowing of streams. In the Aube region of France, in the northeast of the country, three people aged between 70 and 80 died when a tree crushed the car they were traveling in during strong winds.

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What are the causes of the extreme weather events this summer in Europe?

According to research by the consulting firm Inverto, from 2021 to 2023, the number of extreme weather events in Europe it increased annually from 11,442 to 16,956 registered events.

That includes incidences of large storms hail, strong rains o snowfall, good heavens damage, droughts caused by hot weather – and even tornadoes.

These phenomena are also destructive to the economy and livelihoods. Only one hail storm in 2023 near the city of Valenciain the southeast of Spaincaused damage estimated at 40 million euros.

But what influences Europe’s weather and its enormous extremes?

The climatic phenomena of The boy y The girl They are partly to blame. El Niño – known as a “warm phenomenon” – is defined as above-average sea surface temperatures and increased rainfall in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, but has global effects, impacting Europe.

Currently, the planet is in a transition phase between El Niño and La Niña, known as “cold phenomenon“. In the midst of this neutral phase, we continue to see El Niño reign, bringing a hangover of astronomically high temperatures to the oceans and air.

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It has been proven that both phenomena have the so-called “Domino effect”. This means that the weather in one place can change the weather in another: decreasing rainfall in one place in the world can increase it in another. Europe, the fastest warming continent, is also suffering the effects of climate change.

According to recent data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Copernicussince 1991 it has warmed twice as much as the world average.**

Both organizations have warned that Europe has to do much more to reduce its emissions and continue its transition away from fossil fuels. A total of 23 of the continent’s 30 most severe heat waves have occurred since 2000, and five of them in the last three years.

Experts now say it’s time to act to avoid even more catastrophes climates throughout Europe.