Why are summers in Europe getting hotter and hotter?
In recent years, Europe has experienced some of the hottest summers since measurements began. According to the European service Copernicus, Europe is the continent that is warming fastest in the world. Temperatures there are rising about twice as fast as the global average. In many cities in the south, thermometers increasingly often show over 40 degrees.
Heat and drought create ideal conditions for wildfires. Particularly affected are Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy, where fires destroy large areas of forest every summer. In 2023, the largest forest fire that was ever recorded in the European Union raged in Greece. Fires not only destroy nature but also threaten the homes and lives of people. Drought also causes great damage in agriculture, because harvests often fail.
Heatwaves are also dangerous for health, especially for older people and for the chronically ill. Researchers estimate that in the summer of 2022 more than 60,000 people died in Europe because of the heat. Particularly dangerous are tropical nights, when the temperature does not drop below 20 degrees. In France, after the deadly heatwave of 2003, a national plan for protection against heat was introduced.
Today all larger cities must find new solutions, because asphalt and concrete retain the heat even during the night. Many cities plant more trees and create new parks, because greenery cools the streets. In Barcelona, for example, schools and libraries serve as cool shelters during heatwaves. Other cities paint the roofs white or build public drinking fountains.
What do scientists say about this trend? They agree that the main cause is man-made climate change. The burning of coal, oil and gas increases the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. That is why heatwaves are becoming more frequent, longer and more intense. If emissions do not fall quickly, such summers could become normal by the middle of the century. Scientists stress that adaptation is important, but it is no substitute for climate protection. The European Union wants to become climate-neutral by 2050, but the road there is still long.