Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

Study: Climate change causing more 'heat stress' in Europe

Share
BERLIN -

Europeans, particularly in the south of the continent, are being subjected to more heat stress during the summer months as climate change causes longer periods of extreme weather, a study published Thursday shows.

The European Commission's Copernicus Climate Change Service said comparisons of data going back over decades showed record heat last year resulted in hazardous conditions for human health.

"Southern Europe experienced a record number of days with `very strong heat stress,"' defined as temperatures from 38 to 46 degrees Celsius (100 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit), it said.

The number of summer days with "strong" (32 to 38 Celsius) or "very strong" heat stress is rising across the continent, while in southern Europe this is also the case for "extreme heat stress" days above 46 Celsius, Copernicus said.

"There is also a decreasing trend in the number of days with 'no heat stress'," it added.

Heat stress is increasingly viewed as a significant issue worldwide as the planet warms due to human-made climate change. Experts say it can cause a wide range of health problems, including rashes, dehydration and heat stroke.

The warning was part of the annual Copernicus European State of the Climate report, which confirmed that the continent experienced its second warmest year on record in 2022. Last summer was the hottest on record across Europe at 1.4 Celsius (2.5 Fahrenheit) above the reference period of 1991-2020. The Svalbard region in the Arctic even saw summer temperatures that were 2.5 Celsius (4.5 Fahrenheit) higher than the average, it said.

High temperatures and low rainfall also resulted in widespread drought, while summer wildfires caused the highest carbon emissions in 15 years, Copernicus said.

This led to record melting of Alpine glaciers, with more than five cubic kilometres of ice disappearing, it said.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Days after a political sign was erected outside Lululemon founder Chip Wilson's Vancouver mansion, the waterfront property has been vandalized with graffiti.

Toronto Coun. Michael Thompson 'forced himself on' a woman who awoke to find him standing over her after she fell asleep drunk, the Crown alleged Monday, as the five-day sexual assault trial of the six-term politician began in Bracebridge, Ont.

A disgraced Winnipeg high school football coach convicted of sexual assault and luring will spend 20 years behind bars.

Two people are in hospital after they were chased and shot at in what appears to be an act of road rage before eventually flipping their car while trying to escape, police say.

Local Spotlight

Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

Bernie Hicks, known as the ‘Batman of Amherst,’ always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

Bubi’s Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.

Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.

A gargantuan gourd – affectionately named ‘Orangina’ by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home – earned the massive honour of being named B.C.’s heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.