Extreme heat has claimed thousands of lives in Europe this year. According to reports, heatwaves have resulted in approximately 35,000 deaths across the continent. Many rivers have dried up, and forests have burned. In light of this situation, the European Union (EU) now regards extreme heat as a major disaster and is preparing to establish a new system to tackle it.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on Wednesday that this year’s heat has taught Europe a significant lesson. Intense heat has caused many rivers to dry up, and thousands of lives have been lost in regions stretching from Portugal to Hungary. She emphasized the urgent need for the European Union to develop new strategies and methods to address the deteriorating climate situation. In the ‘State of the European Union’ address, she proposed a new European heatwave plan and the creation of a state-of-the-art firefighting aircraft fleet for the future. She stated that the extreme weather conditions experienced this summer have highlighted the severity of the challenges facing Europe.
Currently, the European Union operates a small fleet of its own and coordinates a network of aircraft, water tankers, and volunteers to provide assistance among its 27 member states during fire incidents. Ursula von der Leyen further noted that no part of the European continent has been spared from the impact of intense heatwaves; major rivers like the Danube, Rhine, and Garonne are drying up before our eyes. Patient care services in health centers and hospitals have been severely disrupted. Consequently, caring for the elderly has become difficult; unable to cope with these conditions, they are falling ill. She stated that, as a next step, the 100 areas most severely affected by the heat would be identified.
This year, devastating forest fires broke out in several European countries. Approximately 660,000 hectares of forest land were reduced to ashes, and around 12 million tonnes of crops were destroyed. To tackle forest fires, Ursula von der Leyen has emphasized developing new capabilities, strengthening emergency service systems, and equipping firefighting forces with greater efficiency and modern technology. According to a study, the impact of climate change has been severely felt in Europe this year. Ursula von der Leyen has noted that Europe is warming at nearly twice the rate of the global average. In the coming years, Europe will need to prepare to tackle increasingly intense heatwaves. Notably, temperatures in Europe broke several records during this year’s summer season. On July 22, the temperature in Sicily, Italy, reached 46.5 degrees Celsius. Similarly, temperatures hit 44.3 degrees Celsius in Pissos, France, while many regions in Spain consistently recorded temperatures above 42 degrees Celsius.
