Europe is in the grip of a summer of climate-fueled extremes, with countries across the continent struggling to cope with the ramifications of searing temperatures, raging wildfires, and devastating floods. Europe’s protracted battle with extreme weather conditions comes shortly after official data showed July was the hottest month in history.

In Greece, wildfires raged near the capital of Athens for a second consecutive day on Wednesday, and authorities have warned that scorching heat and strong winds could fuel a new spate of blazes in the coming days. Also, the blazes have led to some reported deaths nationwide. On the same day, France issued an extreme heat warning for four regional departments in the southern regions of Rhone, Drome, Ardeche, and Haute Loire.

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In Italy, authorities have issued red alert “emergency conditions,” which means that even healthy people are at risk of adverse effects from the extreme heat. Temperatures on Friday are expected to peak at around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in the inland areas of Sardinia, according to Italian weather news service Meteo. To be sure, the climate emergency, primarily driven by fossil fuel burning, is making extreme weather and its impacts more frequent and intense. “This is the new normal and does not come as a surprise,” said Alvaro Silva, a climate expert with the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization.

Reference : https ://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/25/climate europe battles wildfires

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